It is that time of year again! The deadline to register for the 2014 Annual meeting with Association of Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is drawing near and there are but a matter of days to help send me to the meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency, in Sacramento, California on July 25-27, 2014.

The cost for registering is before June 27 is $415 and after that date, it is $440. The rates for the stay while at the hotel holding the conference start at $102 per night. Fortunately, as far as travel expenses are concerned, as I live in Northern California I will be able to drive there myself.

Why I need your support

The coffers are dry here at Poisoned Pets and as you know, because I do not accept advertising or sponsorships, sell books, pet food lists or pet food consumer reports, I rely entirely on the kindness of pet parent’s donations to support the work I do. This is an important distinction between myself and other advocates who derive an income from selling products related to the industry. Therefore, as an independent journalist and advocate, the work I do can never be influenced by any association with a pet food company or a pet food related product. Pet parents are my sponsors, not pet food companies.

Why it is vital that I attend

The meetings are important industry events normally populated by hundreds of pet food and animal feed companies, multinational conglomerates, and government officials from the Food and Drug Administration’s Centers for Veterinary Medicine. In addition, feed control officers from nearly every state in the US attend the meetings. Although these meeting are always firmly packed wall to wall with Big Pet Food, there are usually only one or two lone consumer advocates at these events. Therefore, it remains vital that we maintain an active presence there.

Please contribute!

I hope you will lend your support and give whatever you can to help get me there. Every bit will help –  the price of a bag of kibble, a few cans of pet food – it all adds up. You can make a difference and make a donation, however small or incredibly generous, via PayPal – the easiest and safest way to send money online. Time is running out, so don’t miss this fabulous opportunity to be a proud sponsor of Poisoned Pets – the only independent pet food safety advocate in the U.S.

Thank you!