Yesterdays News cat litter

[Lorry]

Hi. My name is Lorry. I have two one year old rats, Lolli & Fawn. We have had a really rough time since April trying to diagnose why they were sneezing/wheezing/grunting. After spendinding oodles of money, and doing diagnostic testing (and two months of antibiotics), homeopathic herbs, switching vets...they have allergies.
What some of you might not know is that Yesterdays News cat litter (commonly used in the USA for rats) has misreprepresented themselves. Their product is NOT made from 100% newspaper, in fact, it is made from 30% wood pulp! I do not yet know what type of wood, as they are supposed to call me back, but I wanted to let you all know.
I have been worried sick for five months, only to learn that allegedly it may very well be that litter. I myself have serious allergies to many trees, so that may be why me, my rats, and my service dog all have allergies...or it could just be seasonal, but I wanted everyone to know.
The company, Nestle Purina, said that they are not required to put that on the ingredients since it is not for human consumption. Hmmmm....wonder what other companies are not listing?????
Perhaps we are doing our rats a huge diservice if companies in the USA can get away with that. IF that is the case then I will file a claim to collect the money I have spent on their medical bills, having someone clean my entire room for five hours, and the expensive air purifier we now own.
Are the laws in Canada like this? I am trying not to get too upset, but it sure is hard knowing they can put what they want in a bag, and claim it is one thing, when it isnt at all. :!??!??!:

 

[victoria]

I think it's well known that YN is not made entirely from newspaper. There are very few regulations for pet products, even for foods companies don't have to disclose ingredients or nutritional info for foods. That being said, I highly doubt the litter is responsible for the respiratory issues and the wood would be so highly processed, there would be no aromatic phenols remaining. There are a lot of experienced rat guardians on the forum, if you start a thread about your rats' respiratory symptoms and what you have already tried, we can try to help you.

I stopped using Purina products several years ago because they're not a company I want to give my money to. YN is one of the few products I would buy from them because it is good for rats and rabbits but I have found an alternate brand of pelleted paper that I use now.

 

[hopefloats]

we have used it for years the only way it would cause a problem with the lungs is if it is the one that has a fragrance added to it. I also use a different brand now but the pulp isnt the problem the horrible breeding practices are. These rats are being over bred and with horrible genes.

 

[jorats]

Victoria, which one do you use now?
I agree, I highly doubt it's the YN. But allergies are very possible. Have you tried giving your sweeties benedryl?

 

[marissaceleste]

Fresh4Life makes a recycled newspaper pellet comparable to yesterday's news. Fresh4Life is owned by PetValu so you can only get it at PetValu stores. Website says it's made from "100% recycled PaperGator biodegradable paper". I recently switched to this since, like Victoria said Purina sucks, and also it's a bit cheaper than YN.

 

[victoria]

Victoria, which one do you use now?
I agree, I highly doubt it's the YN. But allergies are very possible. Have you tried giving your sweeties benedryl?

This is what I use now: http://freshnewslitter.com/products/ It has baking soda in it but I haven't found it causes issues, I only put a tiny amount at the bottom of the rat litter boxes. It's a bit fluffier and softer than YN and I find that a 25 lb bag lasts as long as a 30 lb bag of YN. There are a few other brands out there too, not sure which are available in Ontario. Daily Scoops is another popular one here, it's almost identical to YN (no baking soda) and comes in brown paper bags.

 

[hopefloats]

I think that is the same type I have been using the last few years. I get a 25lb bag for 10.99.

 

[jorats]

Oh looks good! Of course I probably won't find that here. I refuse to shop at Pet Valu here. They are just awful with the small animal sales.

This is what I use now: http://freshnewslitter.com/products/ It has baking soda in it but I haven't found it causes issues, I only put a tiny amount at the bottom of the rat litter boxes. It's a bit fluffier and softer than YN and I find that a 25 lb bag lasts as long as a 30 lb bag of YN. There are a few other brands out there too, not sure which are available in Ontario. Daily Scoops is another popular one here, it's almost identical to YN (no baking soda) and comes in brown paper bags.

 

[SQ]

Guess I am stuck with yesterdays news as I am on a limited income and I refuse to shop at pet stores.
I buy it at the grocery store.
Originally yesterdays news was made out of 100% recycled newspaper .... it was made here in NB Canada before sold to Purina

 

[victoria]

Oh looks good! Of course I probably won't find that here. I refuse to shop at Pet Valu here. They are just awful with the small animal sales.

I get it special ordered at Montreal Critters (so lucky to have them near by!) but shipping to you would probably be brutal.

 

[Lorry]

Victoria, which one do you use now?
I agree, I highly doubt it's the YN. But allergies are very possible. Have you tried giving your sweeties benedryl?

Yes, but we are five days in(with .03 Benadryl given one to two times daily), with a swoosh switch to Carefresh Ultra (yesterday), and they are still sneezing a tiny bit. The only other thing in their cage are oak wooden shelves with unscented natural beeswax sealing the wood. (they do not chew on it). They sleep in a fleece hammock that is soaked in vinegar, and washed in Dreft, or unscented detergent. We change the hammock, and litter every night, sometimes depending how I feel, every other night. All of my bedding is washed in unscented detergent.

I am still very upset that Nestle Purina can misrepresent themselves so gravely. Now I trust NO product on the market. The ONLY reason they gave the info up, is because of who a direct family member is, and we had sources telling us that it was not 100% recycled newspaper, and in fact allegedly has an odor control substance in it.

When I hear from the company, I will let you know. Since I am ill, my smell is so enhanced that it bothered me as well, so that is why we suspected it. IF I choose a new product, you can be certain I will call the company and ask exactly what is in it, and then have it lab tested, or we may just use our own shredded newspaper, or paper towels---ANYTHING safe!

We also dont have the store that was mentioned to my knowledge, and now knowing USA laws...anything could be in it. I trust nothing at this point.

I thank everyone for their input. It means a lot to me.
Hugs,
Lorry

 

[jorats]

Are you using children's benedryl? My vet told us we can go as high as 1ml a day, so we would do 0.5 ml twice a day.