Warning - Harrisons Power Treats

[Chelle]

WOW!!! I feed my babies Harrison's as well. I am at the end of a bag and would love to find out if it was the food before I purchase more! I am assuming the bag I have is ok as we are at the end and have had no problems... I almost ordered some power treats last night. I am glad I got sleepy and didn't complete my order. I think I will hold off until I find out more on this story!!!

 

[Echo]

Going down the list after a search to double check toxicity from Honeysuckle.
ALL list it as TOXIC

The first one also mention death
Plants Poisonous to Parrots - Plants Poisonous to Pet Birds - Common Plants Toxic to Birds
Non-toxic for birds list and a list of things that are toxic for birds.
http://www.plannedparrothood.com/plants.html
Listing of Foods & Plants Toxic to Birds

Safe and Toxic Plants for Pet Birds List, poisonous and toxic plants for pet birds, safe herbs for pet birds, safe flowers for pet birds, safe garden plants for pet birds, safe garden flowers for pet birds, safe seeds to grow for pet birds, safe hous

This one says that the effects are vomiting, lethargy....
Poisonous Plant List

 

[Echo]

Looking further, one site says that ONLY THE JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE FLOWER is safe(Japanese Lonicera japonica), not even the berries that are extremely poisonous.
That one is found in that lotion.

However, there is a second species of Honeysuckle in that lotion that could highly have been the problem....

 

[Chelle]

Looking further, one site says that ONLY THE JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE FLOWER is safe(Japanese Lonicera japonica), not even the berries that are extremely poisonous.
That one is found in that lotion.

However, there is a second species of Honeysuckle in that lotion that could highly have been the problem....

So do you think it was the lotion and not the Harrison's that smelled funny?

 

[DallyTsuka]

so going with echo's research... poisoning from the lotion could still also be the cause i hope this gets solved soon.

 

[Echo]

I really don't know.....The pellets might have been rancid too. However, we can't overlook the fact that with a Honeysuckle Toxin that if ingested make the parrots vomit and possibly kill them, if they just had pellets, they would have vomited the pellets....

On the other hand it's seems like lately we have had quite a few pellet recalls!!!

To me though, the fact that she applied that lotion on the birds just before, and knowing about the Honeysuckle presence I would tend to think it was the culprit.

I hope she has necropsies done and we can know for sure....

 

[ShellyBorg]

There needs to be a necropsies and BOTH the food and lotion needs to be tested. Other then that there will always be questions.

 

[SoCalWendy]

There needs to be a necropsies and BOTH the food and lotion needs to be tested. Other then that there will always be questions.

Totally agree. I hope it gets resolved soon.

 

[Chelle]

I was going to buy a new bag of Harrison's tomorrow! Now I am nervous and wondering if I should get something else until we know for sure. Are birds like dogs and should be fed the same food all the time or is it ok to switch their food to give them variety?

 

[Echo]

I am seeing mixed info on whether Honeysuckle is poisonous.And even the sites I am see it listed, it is not listing it as a fatal toxin.

Some things might be more or less toxic. It also depends on the bird (size, general health) and the amount ingested. The more toxin ingested, the more risk of a fatality. How much of the lotion did she apply and how often too?

 

[SoCalWendy]

I'm still buying my Harrison's. I will do what I usually do and smell the bag for freshness. I want peace of mind but I am more concerned about the lotion that was applied to the birds, than the food that was fed.

 

[ShellyBorg]

At this point there is No reason not to feed or buy new bags. Just be smart about it. Does it look right? How does it smell? What is the date on it?
We have no idea how this person stored there food.
We have no idea what else the birds may have gotten into.
We have no idea really what happen.
Lots of time when something goes wrong we point at the first thing and say "That is the issue!" Later when we have had a chance to sit back and look, then we see the issue.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Two kinds of honeysuckle are mentioned: lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower (and) lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) flower extract.

Both are a flower extracts.

Plants Poisonous to Parrots - Plants Poisonous to Pet Birds - Common Plants Toxic to Birds

Regarding Honeysuckle: "Fragrant and beautiful, the delicate honeysuckle seems an unlikely threat to pet birds. Their leaves and flowers, however, are toxic to parrots, and can cause serious health problems or even death. Keep honeysuckles away for your bird's safety."

I also found out through this website that parsley is also toxic to birds, I had no idea.

 

[ShellyBorg]

Yet I have seen parsley listed as a chop add in.
I have always wondered where they get there "toxic" info? I own pack goats and oak leaves in listed as poisonous to them along with acorn, but mine and others have been eating them for years like candy with No ill effects. I wish when they would make there list they would also say where the info came from.

 

[Mayden]

I think it's really important to not panic about the Harrisson's. The lady clearly stated that her bag was obviously 'off' and shouldn't have used it. If your Harrisson's is looking and smelling as normal, 99.99% chance is your bird will be fine. If they're going to throw up, likely the culprit is elsewhere in your case.

Regarding the lotion: this is why it is so important to get dedicated Avian products only, unless it is pure products. (90% Aloe Juice, 10% Water or something).

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. Maybe it was a combination of both, but like everyone's said, until a necropsy is done (if she gets one done, not everyone can bare the thought of their beautiful fid being 'harassed' after all they've gone through already.)

But this should just serve as a reminder to act with caution with all foods and products you use on/around your fids.

As far as I can remember, Goulden feast is the only product 'recently' to have been recalled too.

This is not a case of the food appearing fine overall (and so the owner not knowing and the birds mysteriously passing), the food was obviously off and shouldn't be fed, so please don't go throwing away and panicking over your bags. Just use your noggin' and feed with care.

 

[jakrob4]

So sad to hear, I would be devestated.
Cold Tip- Refrigeration slows mould growth. Keep your bags in the fridge once opened. Also Make sure they are always sealed with as little oxygen in the bag as possible to lower your chances of them turning bad.

Can understand that.

However:

as they do not use preservatives; they try their very best to ensure that the food arrives to you in top notch condition, but some bags may be pierced, or wrongly stored, etc causing mould to grow etc.

Sorry keep hearing this and have to correct.
Harrisons use Rosemary Extract and Natural Mixed Tocopherols as preservatives (Not sure if they use a mould inhibitor though). These have no nutritional value. As confusing as Tocopherols may seem I can assure you if Mixed tocopherols is on a label it definitely isn't a source of vitamin E.

I have a 1kg bag of the same stuff in my cupboard that I was sent for free by a livestock feed company for testing.
Here is what some of the label says:

NATUROX brand Plus
Dry Antioxidant
Description-
A Dry free-flowing product containing natural antioxidants, which is designed to protect pet foods, pet treats, and pet food ingredients from autoxidative deterioration and preserve freshness.

Ingredient Listing-
Amorphous Silicon Dioxide, Citric Acid, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vegetable oil and Rosemary Extract.

Health Hazard Data-
Eye Contact: Flush eyes with water for at least 15 mins
Skin Contact: Wash with water
Inhalation: Handle In well ventilated area. Remove to fresh air.
Ingestion: Consult a Physician.

Its use by date states it must be used within 9 months of when it was manufactured.

I was told by the company we only have to label the Mixed Tocopherols, the Vegetable Oil and the Rosemary Extract if we chose to use this preservative in our pellet.
Doesn't seem like the most toxic stuff but I would prefer to receive pellets directly after manufacturing and use them in a short enough period that preservatives aren't needed.

If current pellets were relying on real foods as their source of nutrition instead of artificial vitamins etc with extended shelf lives, and weren't using some type of preservative, they wouldn't be able to sit around for months risking mould infestation. Also wouldn't be able to be shipped as far as they are though.

Still not sure how harrisons get a shelf life longer than 9 months if the only close to natural preservative I can find only lasts 9 months by itself.

 

[Mayden]

So sad to hear, I would be devestated.
Cold Tip- Refrigeration slows mould growth. Keep your bags in the fridge once opened. Also Make sure they are always sealed with as little oxygen in the bag as possible to lower your chances of them turning bad.

Can understand that.

However:

as they do not use preservatives; they try their very best to ensure that the food arrives to you in top notch condition, but some bags may be pierced, or wrongly stored, etc causing mould to grow etc.

Sorry keep hearing this and have to correct.
Harrisons use Rosemary Extract and Natural Mixed Tocopherols as preservatives (Not sure if they use a mould inhibitor though). These have no nutritional value. As confusing as Tocopherols may seem I can assure you if Mixed tocopherols is on a label it definitely isn't a source of vitamin E.

I have a 1kg bag of the same stuff in my cupboard that I was sent for free by a livestock feed company for testing.
Here is what some of the label says:

NATUROX brand Plus
Dry Antioxidant
Description-
A Dry free-flowing product containing natural antioxidants, which is designed to protect pet foods, pet treats, and pet food ingredients from autoxidative deterioration and preserve freshness.

Ingredient Listing-
Amorphous Silicon Dioxide, Citric Acid, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Vegetable oil and Rosemary Extract.

Health Hazard Data-
Eye Contact: Flush eyes with water for at least 15 mins
Skin Contact: Wash with water
Inhalation: Handle In well ventilated area. Remove to fresh air.
Ingestion: Consult a Physician.

Its use by date states it must be used within 9 months of when it was manufactured.

I was told by the company we only have to label the Mixed Tocopherols, the Vegetable Oil and the Rosemary Extract if we chose to use this preservative in our pellet.
Doesn't seem like the most toxic stuff but I would prefer to receive pellets directly after manufacturing and use them in a short enough period that preservatives aren't needed.

If current pellets were relying on real foods as their source of nutrition instead of artificial vitamins etc with extended shelf lives, and weren't using some type of preservative, they wouldn't be able to sit around for months risking mould infestation. Also wouldn't be able to be shipped as far as they are though.

Still not sure how harrisons get a shelf life longer than 9 months if the only close to natural preservative I can find only lasts 9 months by itself.

Sorry, I should have clarified; you are right that they use natural preservatives but don't preserve for 'very long'. (Look at your tins of peas and carrots and see the difference I'm comparing to, wouldn't surprise me if you say an expiry in 2020 ) Shelf life is significantly impaired compared to other brands because of the type they use.

If they used any less, we here in the UK etc, wouldn't be able to get our Harrissons, and it couldn't be trusted that the people receiving their product within a short period of time would get it in a good condition either.

But; the point still stands, Harrisson's should be arriving to everyone in good condition, as is usually the case. Problems generally only arise when people do not follow instructions for storage of the food (or if the bag has been damaged in transit.) They then become quick to fault the brand.

I dunno about the rest of you guys, but my Harrisson's arrives bubble wrapped too. So unless there is an obvious fault with the product, then any fault that happens after me opening the bag, I'm going to put down to my own carelessness, so; not resealing the bag properly, not keeping it in the bag, not refrigerating the bag (if I was using a larger bag, for smaller birds, etc), not using it within the date threshold.

I would be absolutely furious with the company for sending out faulty batches that appeared fine but killed my birds, because there is absolutely no compensation they can pay out that will heal the heartache that they will have caused, but this was an obvious case of bad food and shouldn't have been fed, fault of harrissons or not.

If you get a bad bag of Harrissons, contact the company, give them details of the bag, how long you've had it opened, the conditions it's been stored in etc and I'm sure they will be more than happy to help.

+ as far as the 9 month thing applies; my bag says used before JUN 2014, and arrived maybe 3 days ago. So that give us 9 months, the fact that it says 'before' says to me that it does, indeed, has a 10 month shelf life (including manufacturing, shipping, etc.) Something that could maybe look in to but;

If it doesn't look or smell fresh, don't feed it. It really is that straight forward.

 

[Merlee]

Those who have a batch with the same lot number and feel confident about the safety, let us know if your birds are fine. I will take that info back to the forum where it was originally posted. That may show her batch may be an isolated incident.

 

[Echo]

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???

 

[SoCalWendy]

Those who have a batch with the same lot number and feel confident about the safety, let us know if your birds are fine. I will take that info back to the forum where it was originally posted. That may show her batch may be an isolated incident.

That's a good idea... I don't use the treats, but some on here might. Is there a way you could find more out about the lotion. Did she apply it on all her birds?