What follows is somewhat of a philosophical discussion of the recall problem. If you want to know how to avoid other inevitable disasters in the future, then the following will be helpful.

To understand our position on this important issue you must understand that Wysong is truly unique in the entire food industry. Although we are perceived as just another company trying to sell products, our purpose is not to see how much profit we can make. We are a family owned company with our name on the line. We are led by in-house doctorate level professionals and are doing our best to put ourselves out of business. By that we mean that we see our company as if it were a doctor; the function of any good doctor is to keep patients healthy and put themselves out of business. If you follow Dr. Wysong's Optimal Health Programs for either pets or people, you will see that you need not purchase any packaged foods "even Wysong" to achieve best health and be as safe as it is possible to be from toxins such as melamine.

Since health begins with knowledge, we see education as our primary function. In that regard we try to tell the truth as we see it with a view to the long term health of people and animal companions. We are not a marketing and PR company. With regard to products, the only reason we research, develop, and manufacture them is because we do not trust products coming from companies with no true health or nutritional expertise at the helm that seem to operate solely for the purpose of profit. The pet food industry is replete with such companies.

With that said, if you notice a tone of frustration in our communications, it is not because we think we might lose buyers of our products or that we are trying to hide anything. It is because we know people have it within their power to be far less vulnerable to such disasters but by and large are not taking advantage of it. By following the Wysong Optimal Health Program pets would be protected against all but the most lethal dose of a toxin concentrated in a single feeding.

Unfortunately, the industry, regulators, and the public tend to see problems as isolated events that need an immediate solution and an easily identifiable enemy. So the problem (enemy) is found and a remedy made. Then it is hoped that all will return to "normal." But stopgap measures are not the way to health.

For example, it was only about a decade ago that thousands of cats were maimed and died as a result of feeding premium brands-- thoroughly tested, and stamped with approval by regulators as being "100% complete and balanced."� It turns out they were deficient in the essential amino acid, taurine. In another recent case, animals died as a result of mycotoxin poisoning from a mold growing on grains.

In the taurine case, the problem was remedied by adding taurine to diets (primarily made in China, incidentally). In the mycotoxin case, the problem was solved by proper testing and storage of grains. The present melamine problem will be solved by removing the toxin from ingredients.

Although immediate crises are easily repaired, fundamental solutions are more elusive and resistant to change because they mean changing one's philosophical premises. So susceptibility to dangers like melamine remains. There are thousands of potential toxins "both synthetic and natural" that can find their way into foods and there is no conceivable way of testing for them all. Every time consumers buy any food for themselves or their pets, trust is extended. There is simply no way to remove that wild card of "trust" and that is why we present the industry-critical information we do to Don't Be Fooled and have devised the Optimal Health Program. The more information you have, the less trust you need to extend and the less vulnerable you will be.

Certainly any company who has willfully misled the public and knowingly put them in harm's way needs to be punished. But identifying such a culprit does not solve the underlying problem for pet owners who have come to believe they should feed one food meal after meal, day after day. Not only do they put their pets at risk of toxicity but pets also succumb to the epidemic of chronic degenerative diseases (arthritis, dental disease, obesity, cancer, autoimmunities, increased susceptibility to infections, skin problems, etc.) that are plaguing the pet population. Millions of pets are being maimed and dying from these problems but nobody (other than Wysong) is breathing a word about it or identifying what the true cause is--the exclusive feeding of processed pet foods under the belief that they are "complete and balanced."�

A similar situation of ignoring fundamental causes exists in the burgeoning medical care industry that focuses on naming diseases and treating their symptoms. Over 3.6 trillion dollars are now spent annually and yet modern medicine's iatrogenic and nosocomial dangers result in more deaths than any other cause. See: Why Modern Medicine is the Greatest Threat to Health. No focus is spent on what causes health and what can truly prevent disease. The result is that the system will continue to burden the economy and people will continue to suffer at its hands.

This tendency to not address fundamental causes and only deal with effects was highlighted so dramatically by the public’s and the media’s reaction to hurricane Katrina. People railed against the dikes, racism, President Bush, insufficient money, poor response—but everyone seemed to ignore the fact that a city built below sea level next to an ocean and in a hurricane alley only invites disaster. The 100% complete myth, and people feeding a singular food day after day to their pets (something they would never do to their children or themselves), is a nutritional city built below sea level.

Many objected to the intimation in our past post that people must share some blame for what befalls their pets and that Wysong was being defensive, insensitive...and much worse! We are not. Our entire lives are spent focused on what can be done to bring health and happiness to people and animals. We spend thousands of hours in free educational efforts, write books, provide free health newsletters, maintain an extensive educational website, have an entire staff that teaches people how to feed using non-Wysong products, support a wide array of humane and philanthropic activities, build unique processing facilities that require manning round the clock to produce raw shelf-stable foods. Almost every one of us goes home to at least one beloved animal companion. But rather than just grieve, we are trying to do something about the situation that allowed this disaster in the first place. All human problems begin with wrong thinking so that is what we are focused on and trying to convey to people who will open their minds to it.

When the melamine tragedy has passed, pet owners will still face danger if they continue to seek one “pure” food to feed meal after meal since it is impossible to know if any food is absolutely safe. That is why we have been teaching people a better way to feed for the past 25 years. Nobody who has followed that advice has been victimized by the present situation, nor were they by taurine deficiency and mycotoxin poisoning. They will also be highly unlikely to be vulnerable to future dangers.

Our advice is centered on Dr. Wysong’s discovery over twenty years ago that the “100% complete and balanced” claim is a myth and that pets and humans should be fed as they are genetically designed. That means to select foods intelligently, vary the diet, use supplements, and fresh food augment—not hunt for the one perfect food to feed meal after meal based on “no” this or that claims, percentages, “super” ingredients, or other marketing lore not grounded in logic, fact, and science,

This Wysong method of feeding reduces the exposure risk of a toxin and gives the body an opportunity to detoxify. It also affords the best opportunity for receiving the spectrum of nutrients needed. To learn more about how to do this, obtain a copy of “How To Apologize To Your Pets.” To learn the truth about pet foods, get a copy of The Truth About Pet Foods, by Dr. Wysong.

So who is really responsible when pet feeding goes bad? Certainly anyone who knowingly brings harm is without excuse. But everyone, including the pet food industry, regulators, and pet owners who have bought into the feed-only-one-food-in-a-bowl, “100% complete” myth, must rethink pet feeding or more disasters will surely occur.

The only true victims who have not been given any choice in the matter are our companion animals. That is most sad of all, so they are who we will continue to speak up for by providing real solutions.

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The following is a letter from the FRR website commenting on the current situation and explaining why Flint River foods are not part of the recall, and will not be part of the recall. To see FRR products offered and ingredient lists, please visit the Flint River page of our shop.