Warning - Harrisons Power Treats

[DallyTsuka]

The reason I might think it was not the lotion, was because she said she used it around all the birds(?) but only two got sick, whereas only two had the bad powder treats.

But it seems like she applied the lotion ONLY on the Macaws that plucked. Are the Macaws who died the ones she applied the lotion to???

also possible that the two affected possibly ate the lotion, while the other two hadnt.

the vet said the likely cause of death was the aspiration on the vomit... the lotion itself could have caused the vomit. that's my thought. the harrisons may be coincidental.

i think its a higher chance of the lotion being the culprit, which ingredients already being listed as dangerously toxic.

 

[GreyG]

My Zoey eats Power Treats like they are going out if style. Our lot# is 970SC, use before date April 2014. No ill effects whatsoever.

 

[Mayden]

Merlee, I see you're posting some regarding her update on the Harrisson's.

I am annoyed about Harrisson's, but from what it sounds like, she's maybe not giving them the complete information? If the bag was spoilt, I would have thought they would have liked to examine the contents and do an investigation (either by questioning the lady or checking the batches). If not then I'd suggest she push for that when speaking to them.

I don't believe it to be CO poisoning, because her others would get sick, and she should be feeling symptoms too (although, birds first...) although, glad she's getting a check done nonetheless!

It's gotta be the food or the lotion, I really hope she gets a necropsy done. Is she aware the ingredients in the lotion were toxic?

 

[Merlee]

Have you been following the story at the other website?

I find the whole thing disgusting at both ends. The owner who would use a non-avian approved product and Harrisons for trying to pass the blame onto something else rather than checking themselves to see if the lady indeed had a claim.

The owner of the website decided to get involved and inquire about the product himself. He did that because he owns an internet avian store which sells Harrisons products. Of course, Harrisons said no other similar incidents have been reported. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, this will be an isolated incident.

 

[Mayden]

Have you been following the story at the other website?

I find the whole thing disgusting at both ends. The owner who would use a non-avian approved product and Harrisons for trying to pass the blame onto something else rather than checking themselves to see if the lady indeed had a claim.

The owner of the website decided to get involved and inquire about the product himself. He did that because he owns an internet avian store which sells Harrisons products. Of course, Harrisons said no other similar incidents have been reported. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, this will be an isolated incident.

I have been biting my tongue a fair bit with this, but hey ho, she's not on this forum so I'll be honest. I have tried to follow the story, but not being a member I'm missing out on photos and not sure if I'm keeping up with the thread(s?) about it.

I did not want to attack the lady regarding her ignorance for food hygiene or ingredients in non certified avian products, but it seems that that is what has cost her birds their lives, which angers me.

I do not believe Harrissons would lie about a bad batch, if there's a bad batch, there's a recall, it's pretty much straight up. Better to have their rep tarnished through a recall, than an outcry of birds dying left right and centre and having their rep tarnished through that, at least with a recall they're trying to fix things so look marginally better. But either way, she fed food that was spoilt. I cannot blame Harrissons for that, faulty bag or not... which is her problem, not theirs. Bag spoilt? Contact them and use another in the mean time.

With the lotion, similar thing, as I said before, unless it's pure and you know the ingredients are bird safe, etc, then don't use it. That's just for skin transmission too, not including ingestion, which is a whole nother ball game. She used products with things in it that is known to be toxic to birds, before using the product she could have crossed reference with the forum, google searched etc, to find that it was unsuitable for what she wanted it for.

I believe it to be her ignorance for the two subjects to be what has caused her birds deaths, as sad as it is - and I really am sad for her. I just don't feel she should be berating any company for her own short comings.

This was not a freak accident.

I do feel Harrisson's should at least investigate what happened either way though, like someone said, they have the means and the money.

I just feel as though pieces of the story are missing, she sounds angry and upset (as anyone would be having just lost two of their babies) but she is refusing at all costs to accept any responsibility. One of my birds have died through my own ignorance and I will forever hold my hands up and claim responsibility for her death. Come hell or high water she wants to blame someone, which I guess is natural... but not when it's wrong.

 

[Mayden]

Oh dear, and just found out about her people warning her against using the lotion in the first place. Arg.

 

[MonicaMc]

I was half wondering if it was the gal who recently joined that forum being she has a B&G macaw, a bunch of cockatiels, a pionus and a senegal..... and she somehow ended up with 4 macaws and decided to rehome two of them because they were too much for her, but instead of saying "Hey, I have too many birds, I need to rehome some", she said they died instead. She did that with a bunch of cockatiels, some of them being from another member of a different forum and they were supposed to be going to their "forever" home... and then she rehomed them. That is apparently not the first time this person pulled a stunt like this either.... I mean, from the sounds of it, she's a hoarder - regardless of how well the birds are cared for, she keeps getting more than she can handle, then ends up rehoming some of them. The previous time she rehomed birds she said she had to do it because of her landlord, but it is unclear if she was living at home or renting a place.

I was somewhat relieved to learn that it is *NOT* the same person... but the idiocy of this woman.... I'm sorry, but some things you should not do unless recommended by an avian vet! I'm blaming the lotion first before I'm blaming Harrison's! Ya, sure, it could have been the treats, but considering the circumstances, the lotion sounds like the culprit... and she unwittingly killed her own birds. I agree, freak accidents do happen! But this doesn't sound like one of them.


It's probably a good thing I don't own a macaw, therefore I'm not a member of that forum! I would have probably gotten myself banned within 10 seconds flat! LOL

 

[Mayden]

I was half wondering if it was the gal who recently joined that forum being she has a B&G macaw, a bunch of cockatiels, a pionus and a senegal..... and she somehow ended up with 4 macaws and decided to rehome two of them because they were too much for her, but instead of saying "Hey, I have too many birds, I need to rehome some", she said they died instead. She did that with a bunch of cockatiels, some of them being from another member of a different forum and they were supposed to be going to their "forever" home... and then she rehomed them. That is apparently not the first time this person pulled a stunt like this either.... I mean, from the sounds of it, she's a hoarder - regardless of how well the birds are cared for, she keeps getting more than she can handle, then ends up rehoming some of them. The previous time she rehomed birds she said she had to do it because of her landlord, but it is unclear if she was living at home or renting a place.

I was somewhat relieved to learn that it is *NOT* the same person... but the idiocy of this woman.... I'm sorry, but some things you should not do unless recommended by an avian vet! I'm blaming the lotion first before I'm blaming Harrison's! Ya, sure, it could have been the treats, but considering the circumstances, the lotion sounds like the culprit... and she unwittingly killed her own birds. I agree, freak accidents do happen! But this doesn't sound like one of them.


It's probably a good thing I don't own a macaw, therefore I'm not a member of that forum! I would have probably gotten myself banned within 10 seconds flat! LOL

Hah, I understand that Monica. It's disgusting some people feel the need to lie and 'cheat' their way around rehoming and stuff, to put a death on the cards would have been horrific a way of doing it. I'm unsure if I can say I'm relieved if that is not the case - as it would probably mean the birds are still alive.

If the lotion or Harrissons made them sick I think she needs to find out exactly what caused it (there's a lot to mention of the toxin in chocolate being mentioned, but nothing regarding the Honeysuckle yet) so she can realise what she did wrong and hopefully find some peace. Right now I just feel there's a lot of scaremongering (her being cautious and wanting to warn others is understandable... but not appropriate really considering) and brand bashing. Which is why I hope she has a necropsy done soon.

I think what has happened will be punishment enough (with all of us who have lost birds understanding just how much heartache is involved) for being so... idle. But only when she accepts that she is at fault. She tried to save them and I believe she really did, I don't think she is (from what I've read so far) a bad parront, per say, but she is ignorant and seems to be distrusting of things people suggest to her (alternative treatments for the plucking, viewing suggestions as attacks, etc) and that will harm her birds in the long run, as it has done already.

Such a sad state of affairs for her and her birds. Unfortunately the people on the forum can only advise so much, it's down to each individual owner to make the call about what to feed, what to use, etc.

 

[MonicaMc]

You are right.

As far as we know, the cockatiels (that supposedly died) are still alive, but have been put in new homes... at least, that's the story we are getting. Unfortunately, no one has been able to get a hold of the new owners of the birds, and ads have been put up and placed around various Craigslists.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Have you been following the story at the other website?

I find the whole thing disgusting at both ends. The owner who would use a non-avian approved product and Harrisons for trying to pass the blame onto something else rather than checking themselves to see if the lady indeed had a claim.

The owner of the website decided to get involved and inquire about the product himself. He did that because he owns an internet avian store which sells Harrisons products. Of course, Harrisons said no other similar incidents have been reported. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, this will be an isolated incident.

What about the store she purchased the product, unless she got it directly from Harrison's. I get mine from a store. What about testing the food, the lotion, the other two birds, and the birds that tragically died? Why would Harrison's try and blame someone else? That makes no sense to me, unless this was a completely an isolated incident and other factors could be involved, which in this case it was. Hmmm... Well I guess we wait, hope there are answers soon.

 

[Mayden]

Have you been following the story at the other website?

I find the whole thing disgusting at both ends. The owner who would use a non-avian approved product and Harrisons for trying to pass the blame onto something else rather than checking themselves to see if the lady indeed had a claim.

The owner of the website decided to get involved and inquire about the product himself. He did that because he owns an internet avian store which sells Harrisons products. Of course, Harrisons said no other similar incidents have been reported. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, this will be an isolated incident.

What about the store she purchased the product, unless she got it directly from Harrison's. I get mine from a store. What about testing the food, the lotion, the other two birds, and the birds that tragically died? Why would Harrison's try and blame someone else? That makes no sense to me, unless this was a completely an isolated incident and other factors could be involved, which in this case it was. Hmmm... Well I guess we wait, hope there are answers soon.

Taken this from the other forum; it was mentioned that someone ran an Avian store and were a supplier of Harrissons, he got in contact and here is the response.

We greatly appreciate your support of Harrison’s and we wanted to assure you that no other incidents of this type are reported and for any inquiring Harrison’s user we would share that all products are absolutely fine to feed.
Thank you (and forumname) for your part in making us aware of the situation.
All the best,
Jean

 

[Mayden]

Apparently the lady has hired an attorney who has showed her this thread (believing it to be a separate case)

I sure hope she's gone for "no win, no fee" type things, because her money would have been better spent on necropsies.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Apparently the lady has hired an attorney who has showed her this thread (believing it to be a separate case)

I sure hope she's gone for "no win, no fee" type things, because her money would have been better spent on necropsies.

Well the burden of proof is on her, so your right she should get a necropsy.

 

[ShellyBorg]

This clears some stuff up.
http://www.windycityparrot.com/blog.asp?id=352&action=post&draft=1

 

[Mayden]

This clears some stuff up.
http://www.windycityparrot.com/blog.asp?id=352&action=post&draft=1

So she lied about the mould and ignored the syringe feeding. Why on earth was she syringe feeding?!

If syringe feeding had been mentioned, then aspiration would have made so much more sense with regards to screwing that up.

Glad Harrissons got it all cleared up. Shame on her.

 

[Echo]

Too bad the link is not responding...

 

[Mayden]

Too bad the link is not responding...

Dear Mitch:
As you know, one of your Facebook page users, *********, has alleged on your site that 2 of her birds died from eating Harrison’s bird food. We have completed a thorough investigation and determined conclusively that our food did not contribute to her bird’s deaths. Our official statement is below, which you are welcome to post on your site.
We are happy to provide the facts to your forum members through our statement and hope that it will counter the effect of her unsupported allegations.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you,
Jean

STATEMENT

10/2/2013

On 9/7/13 the tragic and unfortunate deaths of Ms. ******’s macaws occurred.
Shortly thereafter Ms. ****** chose to take to the internet (online forums, social media etc.) campaigning blame against Harrison’s Bird Foods before even speaking to a company representative.

On the morning of 9/9/13 (the first business day subsequent) I did reach Ms. ******* by phone to convey our condolences and to begin an investigation into the possible causes of the birds’ deaths.

Ms. ******* claimed she fed Power Treats “with a noticeably strong mold odor” to her macaws which caused them to vomit and subsequently aspirate resulting in death shortly thereafter.

Although no necropsy (essential for any formal conclusion) was performed and no other incidents had been reported, Harrison’s retrieved the Power Treats for broad testing of molds, mycotoxins, poisons and other pathogens.

Upon retrieval I observed this food myself (having dealt with grain-based food for many years I am well-versed in how these foods should smell) and noted the conspicuously farm-fresh odor of this food. The sample was rushed to the independent lab regardless.

As such testing takes up to a few weeks to finalize we continued our investigation by hiring and consulting with a professional avian pathologist who informed that it was unlikely that birds would succumb so quickly to food-related pathogen.

Immediate death in parrots is most-often associated with exposure to in-home toxicity (carbon monoxide, non-stick fumes etc.) and that food pathogen-related illnesses typically take days or even weeks to develop. I then contacted Ms. ****** recommending she install carbon monoxide detectors in her home for personal safety and the safety of her other pets (A good idea also for any person reading this).

Our investigation continued when we acquired the formal, documented report from the emergency veterinarian who saw the first bird. The report indicated that Ms. ******’s bird was presented that evening after it had been “syringe-fed and began to choke”.

This is clinically significant as syringe-feeding is an extremely risky process that often results in aspiration of a bird’s lungs and subsequent death. The bird was also noted as noticeably thin, feather-plucked and potentially PDD-positive (a typically fatal auto-immune disease).
These facts had never been relayed to us nor had they been shared in any of Ms. *******’s many online postings that are known to us.

The lab results on the sampling did finally return – revealing formally that the food was indeed perfectly safe to feed. The death of any pet is tragic and no words can describe how one feels during the grieving period.

That said, the details of the demise of these birds are clearly consistent with the risky activity performed by Ms. ****** (syringe-feeding and subsequent aspiration) while no evidence whatsoever indicates negligence on the part of Harrison’s Bird Foods.
Ms. ******* has been advised of these findings and has been informed that Harrison’s has performed due-diligence and incurred expenditures above and beyond legal necessity considering there were no necropsies performed.

Harrison’s is very thankful for the rationality and kind support shown by the ownership and other members of this page.

J. Coffinberry

Harrison’s Bird Foods
7108 Crossroads Blvd. Suite 325
Brentwood, TN 37027


Read more: http://www.windycityparrot.com/Follow-Up-on-2-Macaw-Deaths_b_352.html#ixzz2gbNdTQ1i

 

[Echo]

Thank you for clearing this up! I never thought that the food was the culprit, leaning more towards the ingestion of a potentially toxic cream.

However, had we known she was hand feeding (syringe), aspiration would have come to mind, which I now wonder if that's the reason she left that part out.

And to all the new parronts who have bought an unweaned bird (which is a lot lately!), know that hand feeding should be left to experienced handlers, and can be VERY dangerous. If your bird is sick ( as I suspect the reason she was hand feeding ?) and you need to hand feed him, please use a curved spoon to prevent the risks of aspiration.

 

[Zumaria]

I have always been a Harrisons lover - and I will continue to support them, I've never had a problem. However, I do order directly from the website rather than buying in store. There is only 1 very small, family owned store around here that sells it and I worry that it sits on the shelf for long periods at a time...

 

[SoCalWendy]

This is bittersweet. Glad Harrison's was vindicated, but sad that it was the owner who caused their deaths. Thanks for the update, been wondering what happened to this story.