Pet food recall

[Farm Wife]

Pet food recall. Cases of renal failure. Here's the list of foods and a link to the press release.

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html

There is also a link for cat foods.

I personally feed my dog Solid Gold, Wolf King and my cat has lived on Iams canned food for the last 21 years.

Hope you are all having a great day with your critters.

Hugs and Prayers

[Chemar]

:eek:

IAMS & Eukaneuba are included in this recall

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between December 3 and March 6 throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods said it makes pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

Proctor & Gamble announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.

Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey, Henderson said.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/

[Jo*mar]

so this only affects the canned foods?
from what i have checked on some of the links i haven't seen any dry foods listed.

[Chemar]

yes, Jo, from what I understand it is only canned and pouched wet food

[Chemar]

I just spoke with PetsMart and they are saying that as a precaution, even cans and pouches of sliced or chunked wetfood that do not have the same code as the recalled ones, should nevertheless be returned.

this is a real dilemma for me as my kittens will only eat sliced wet food, not the loaf or pate` style
They do also eat their Eukanuba kibble, but are still at the stage where they need wet food too

the IAMS & Eukanuba kitten slices that I have for them do have the Menu Foods plant code, but not the batch code that is being recalled...but, obviously I am going to return them based on what the lady at Petsmart just told me (P&G's phone number has had a busy signal for 2 days now :rolleyes: )

any other brands out there that do NOT have artificial color or flavor added?

[Chemar]

just a heads up.................Petsmart and other outlets are pulling ALL sliced and chunked canned and pouch foods by all the companies listed at http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

[froglady]

How horrible. My Daughter called to tell me about it today. I was going to home cook my little Zoe's food anyway, so just started early! I gave her my dinner tonight. She is a chihuahua and a very picky eater. Has been eating Diamond dry food with a small bit of Little Ceasar. No more dog food for her. I will supplement her food with calcium. I have had to cook for another dog before with a high protein level, had a very good recipe, from the Vet. There are new books and sites to look up, now a days for nutritional(sp?) cooking for pets.
What will be next to recall for people & pets too? Froggie

[mrsD]

I've been working alot this weekend... I looked up the menu foods site,
and our few remaining Special Kitty pouches do not have the listed codes.

Does anyone here know what specifically was wrong with the product?
I am having trouble finding details.

[Chemar]

hi mrsD

so far all I have been able to glean so far is that Menu Foods had recently (early December) changed suppliers for one ingredient in the sliced and chunked food
and that may have been the problem:confused: tho just what about it would lead to renal failure I dont know

even tho the Eukanuba and Iams canned kitten food that I had was not the same date coded batches as are being recalled, my Petsmart person recommended returning them and switching to an unaffected brand simply because they do come from the same plant (coded 4197) as had the problem and so they were erring on the side of caution

[mrsD]

We use Special Kitty from WalMart sometimes. Our middle kitty is a gravy
vacuum and loves pouches. She will suck the gravy off all her bits...:rolleyes:
Ours say made in USA on them! The upc doesn't match or the facility code.

BUT-- my son's rescue cat was VERY ill before Xmas, and was vomiting and
very lethargic over a weekend...so he took her to the emergency vet and
they gave her antibiotic IV's and electrolytes and snapped her out of it.
Prior to this she was diagnosed with kidney issues, and malformed kidneys.
The ER vet was very expensive $800 and we had to help him pay for it.
The ER vet said she had bacterial hepatitis! My son was using Eukanuba pouches
for her! We have used Eukanuba since it came out! Now I wonder! ?????

I emailed him and he said he is dropping moist altogether. He is giving both cats
(the younger has no problems) an Eukanuba kidney kibble he buys online (less expensive than the vet). That would NOT fly in this house. So I am stuck between moist/death, and moist and tuna/contaminated, and who knows what else!

You know no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, something weird comes out of left field to whack you!

Maybe I could just get the girls to live off their treats? But shrimp and smoked turkey can get a bit costly! :o

[Chemar]

I am printing out some great homemade kitty food recipes from the internet mrsD

I really think I am going to start preparing fresh food for my felines and supplement it with the new all natural Blue Spa kibble and canned products that are now available at Petsmart. I have also found a number of online sources for healthy catfood that i am checking out

[moose53]

MrsD,

I wouldn't give the kitty ANY cat food with chunks and gravy. I've heard that even the major companies that are not affiliated with Menu are pulling their products.

I would try Purina dry kitten food with maybe just the tiniest smidgen of flavoring -- maybe milk or human gravy of some of the water from human-grade tuna packed in water. Cats get addicted very easily to flavors. It's not good to "bribe them" to eat.

You know, when I had my former five kitties, two of them had diabetes. I talked with other people at the Vets and every single one of them that also had cats with diabetes had also been giving them Hills Science Diet. I wouldn't give any animal that brand.

I wonder about this Menu Food company. They've 48 brands which are all basically the same product with different labels. That sounds like market manipulation to me. I would never buy any of their products.

I just heard on the news that they tested the product on 40 to 50 animals over the weekend and 7 of the animals died. My God, that's like almost 20% death rate. And they're still doing live testing. They ought to be able to tell chemically what's causing this. They're possibly blaming it on some new grain supplier. I would wonder what the heck could be in grain that could cause kidney failure.

I don't think any of the companies are as careful with feeding our pets as we would want them to be.

I hope they find out what is causing this.

Barb

[mrsD]

I am starting to wonder:

this gluten ingredient? You know human foods, gravies, Chunky Soups,
and many other canned products, have gluten like this added as well...

Will this issue cross over to human products? Just read any processed food
label...you will see the gluten additives.

I vary the food that my cats eat...I buy many products besides the pouches.
But my gravy licker will be very disappointed in the future. No more gluten
containing foods for her or her friends. I also give them chicken that we cook, and beef scraps. Very small amounts...but our 3rd kitty will not eat them.

I think time will tell, more, and I sure hope this does not cross over to us, humans! :eek:

[moose53]

I just heard on the news MrsD that they think that the FDA is starting to think that gluten might have been contaminated with mold or some other toxin.

Maybe all these gluten-free people are the parakeets in the mine shaft for the rest of us.

This is so sad. I just heard about a lady's 13 year old lhasa apso (sp??). Just had a checkup a week ago and was fine. Had a half can of the stuff on two different days. And she's dead now. This is so sad.

I don't understand why it took so long to find out that there's such a huge problem with their product. Don't they have any quality control??

Barb

[mrsD]

Wheat you know, can also be contaminated by ergot. This was a mold
that grows on damp wheat and has CNS effects in humans.

In the middle ages there were enormous populations affected --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism

Ergot has been removed from migraine products (where it used to be commonly used) except for one now in this
country because of the vasoconstrictive harmful consequences.

There is also a toxic algae implicated in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=315374

So yes, I was considering a mold-- a toxic mold.

The incidence of gluten intolerance is rising alarmingly in this country.
Perhaps this will be a warning call for us, humans, as well.

I am going to have to start increasing my shrimp purchases now, our store
has buy one get one free occasionally on the frozen ones. That should take care of Sheba for now! ;) This is her fave, so at least she will be happy!

[mrsD]

I went to WalMart today for my monthly supplies, and returned the pouches
we had left. They took them back ...no questions asked.

So then I went down the petfood isle...and all pouches were gone except
for Whiskas brand.

There were some Friskies cans that I found that didn't have the wheat gluten
in them, but about 1/2 did. Most of the flavors I found without the gluten were the "special formula" low ash version.

But I don't screen for artificial flavors etc, so I can't vouch for them for that.

There was very little cat food left. So I only bought a week's supply.:confused:

[Farm Wife]

Several months ago I switched my pup (19 months) over to Solid Gold dry food (Wolf King).

After looking at all the ingredients etc I decided this was the best I could do for her. Yes, it's expensive (comparable to Eukanuba) but when you factor in the nutrition, the ingredients, etc It's worth it.

Since the old cat (21 yrs old) will eat nothing but Iam's slices, I am switching him over to the cat equivalent of this product in cans. It's going to cost a bunch of bucks more per month, but what can a person do? He has had urinary blockages in his younger years from eating the cheap stuff like Friskies.

I get the food from the vet. LOL I might as well have children in the house. They are getting really expensive to take care of, but worth it. Hubby asked just last night if the Wolf King was on the list of recalled food. NO IT"S NOT

to check out these products http://www.solidgoldhealth.com

I know not everyone can afford this kind of stuff. I would go homemade but my cat just doesn't handle it well, and you have to keep in mind that specialized blends of food have stuff in it that they need. When you do completely homemade you might not be giving your cat some of the nutrients.

But that's just my opinion, OK?

Hugs and Prayers

P.S. If you go to http://www.hua.org/Food.html there is a great explanation of the ingredients, additives and brands available. There are also recipes you can cook.

[Chemar]

my search has led me to a really good resource for more natural stuff for pets

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx

[Curious]

:Sob:

the news stories that are on daily about the sick and dying dogs breaks my heart. one lady...all 5 of her dogs.:(

[mrsD]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-19-qanda-food_N.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17650075/

The ingredient is being kept "secret"...? I am now wondering more and more
about the cross over to human products...soups/gravies! :eek:

http://www.wsbtv.com/entertainment/11296295/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news

In addition, the agency is not sure that only pet food was contaminated. "Right now we don't think people are at risk," Sundlof said.

The reported deaths were limited to pets that took part in a product taste trial conducted by the company, according to U.S. health officials. The FDA at the teleconference said the agency had no reports of other pet deaths as a result of the tainted food.
This a very alarming statement and quite confusing....
from http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/news-33170-31.html

[Chemar]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Julie]

Good Lord...this sure does alarm me!

[Chemar]

ok

now that I have somewhat gotten over being speechless.................

how are they possibly able to keep the offending ingredient "secret":eek:

this is a matter of PUBLIC Health CONCERN:eek: :eek:

yep....I am still pretty speechless

:thud:

[Wittesea]

I have been having panic attacks several times a day about this pet food issue.

My 3 cats have dry food (Purina Naturals) available at all times, but I have always given them canned food (fancy feast - which is a sliced with gravy type of wet food) as an occasional treat (once or twice a week)... in addition we have a few different types of cat treats that are semi-moist which we give them occasionally for no reason.

We checked every pet food product in our house, and we have nothing that was on the recall list -- but because of all the uncertainty and secrecy surrounding the investiagation into this mess, I am flipping out and worried that one of our foods might end up on the list at some point.

I swear, I would be less worried if this was a human-food recall, because at least in humans we can verbalize and recognize our symptoms -- but with the cats, they can't verbalize and we just have to watch and hope that they are continuing to be normal.... my poor cats are on edge simply because I am on edge... and they probably don't like it that I am watching them everytime they use the litterbox, but I need to make sure that they are all normal and healthy - and with 3 cats and 1 litterbox, the only way to know for sure that each cat is using the box in a normal and healthy and regular manner is to watch and see.

I know that I am over-reacting, but with my anxiety disorders worrying and over-reacting is a way of life.... especially when it comes to my pets who are helpless and defensiveless and rely on humans for 100% of their needs.

OK, just needed to get all of that out and off of my chest.

Liz

[Julie]

I'm with you Liz. This has made me nervous even though my kitties and puppy had no food on the recall list. You are so right that they can't verbalize. It's just like a baby being hurt and not knowing how to communicate with them.Though we couldn't get their Little Friskies canned at the supermarket, today at Petsmart I found plenty. On the other hand, they must be overwhelmed there because the cashier was so rude to me and the person behind me...seriously I went back in to complain I was so upset.

[mrsD]

Two of our cats are very old. So I worry. Hard to tell if it is real, or
due to this fisaco-- any symptoms that show up.

BUT...my son's cat was ill during the window-- Early Dec thru now.
She recovered however.

We have some dry treats we give, and wheat gluten is on some of those labels.
(Whisker Lickin's) ... so I am concerned.

Another thing that worries me is that so far the animals who have died quickly were SMALL...so any agent in the food, may be toxic according to weight.
If the animal is bigger, or if it is a human, perhaps only subtle damage to the kidneys occur...WHICH MAY NOT BE NOTICED....this is what is alarming me.

And it is possible that the "agent" causing this needs moisture...to grow or
produce more toxin. Hence the dry foods may not so dangerous.
Hence the bottles of gravy they sell for dogs, may be very dangerous.
Hence foods for humans with gravy etc may be a problem.

I guess the only thing to do is start removing moist, and using only dry.
My son has already started that since he is using the kidney formula for his two girls. (the older rescue has had huge vet bills since he adopted her, and the latest was in this toxic window.)
I am already doing non cat food treats daily for all three. I guess I will eventually stop moist cat food entirely, and do some human quality food +
quality kibble (Eukanuba). But I am even thinking...these high end brands,
like Science Diet and Iams were affected...they are buying their food from a mega maker.

There is a program on Discovery and repeats of the same on Nat Geo channel on cable. It is called "How It Is Made"...and comes from Canada. I saw an episode in late fall on pet food kibble manufacture. I just wonder now if that were Menu Foods? These huge manufacturers may just use a recipe for each company... and make them to order. This is not unlike the vitamin industry, or generic OTC products for humans. An error in the main ingredient list, which may occur for many recipes, would then cross over and affect everyone!

One such major producer for humans, Perrigo, had a huge recall recently for acetaminophen (Tylenol) that had metal shavings in them. It affected huge numbers of product all over the country.

With the complexity we live with today, we are just very vulnerable!

[Wittesea]

It so stressful to sit and watch my cat asking for his wet food and having to deny him.

Guinness was on a wet food only diet when we got him from our naighbor last summer, and over the course of several months I weaned him off of wet and onto dry - which was a long process because I did it at his pace because he had already gone through so many changes.

By December he had adjusted and was eating the dry food - but he would still ask for wet food on an occasional basis and I had no problem giving him a small can every few days when he asked... he had food issues with his previous owner, so it was very important for him to know that I would never deny him food.

And now I am denying him his wet food. Our fancy feast is not on the recall list - but wheat gluten is one of the main ingrediants - so no more wet food for my cats.... I'm worried enough about the wet food they ate between December and now.

But it is breaking my heart to see Guinness asking for his wet food and feeling so terrified about this whole thing that I just can't bring myself to give him any type of wet food at all... he is certainly not going hungry because he eats the dry food just fine, but he likes his wet food -- and more than that he needs to know that he will be fed his wet food when he asks for it due to the problems that were caused by his last owner.

So far, none of my cats have any symptoms at all and I am being hyper-vigilant about watching them and checking them.

But geez - my baby Guinness is breaking my heart with his little playful game of asking for wet food by running back and forth between me and where the food used to be kept and sitting there being totally adorable as he waits for me to go and give him his wet food.... only now I am not getting up and he just doesn't understand why we are cuddling and playing games instead of getting the food he is asking for.

I am afraid that I am giving him food issues again or causing his past food iseus to rise back up to the surface - even though we have 2 dry food dishes that are always full and always available 24/7 - Guinness has always needed that reassurance that he will get his wet food when he asks for his wet food.

[Chemar]

Liz
if you look up homemade cat food on Google you will find some really good recipes with balanced nutrition too. That with dry food seems to be keeping my guys happy

[mrsD]

dry kibble loses its appeal quickly on exposure to air. So giving only a small
amount at a time, I have found satisfies the cats better. They eat it up before the aroma goes stale. Then when they beg you give a bit more.

My oldest cat begs, and she gets a frozen shrimp. That goes quite a way to
satisfy her. He has actually lost weight eating shrimp. Something in shrimp she
must have been craving. This is once a day or so. On vacation it is everyday for some reason! We've always given some table things too...chicken, turkey, etc.

Some Friskies soft is gluten free:
Turkey & Giblets
Ocean Whitefish dinner (special diet)
Poultry Platter

These I just found at WalMart.

I guess we all have to adjust some, until the truth outs...

[Chemar]

just noticed this on the gluten forum

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?p=82136#post82136

[mrsD]

Here is another article...
I find reading them all gives a better picture:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16942953.htm

[Julie]

March 23, 2007, 10:19AM
Rat poison found in recalled pet food


From Chronicle wire reports


ALBANY, N.Y. — A spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Agriculture says rat poison was found in tainted pet food that killed several animals and sparked a nationwide recall.

ABC News this morning reported that the rodenticide, which the source says is illegal to use in the United States, was on wheat that was imported from China and used by Menu Foods in nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food.

A news conference is scheduled for later day in Alban, where scientists at the state's food laboratory made the discovery a week after a massive recall of 60 million cans and pouches was issued, ABC reported.

The chemical is called aminopterin.

[Julie]

Unfreaking believable!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Julie]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17754681/

[Chemar]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

yup

speechless again

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[mrsD]

Finally.... and horrifically!

I was just searching and then turned the computer off for a while...

Thanks Julie... it sets many minds and hearts to rest. This is an isolated
incident--not a result of poor nutritional recipes.

You know, many Chinese herbs are contaminated also... it is best to avoid
all of them unless they are tested before sale. The Chinese even put DRUGS
into their herbs at times. Phenylbutazone and tranquilizers have been found
during testing here.

Here is more on aminopterin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminopterin
It is a chemo agent!

[Silverlady]

I wonder how much of the gluten consumed by people came from the same source? :confused:

Billye

[wildpinky]

i dont usually post here...one of my cats died after eating a half can of the tainted food...he died on march 9, he took a couple of bites of food...staggered to the litter box and layed down and died...i am so upset...this is just so unbelieveable...

[Chemar]

oh dear wildpinky I am so sorry to hear this

Our deepest sympathy:grouphug:

[wildpinky]

thank you, Chemar...i am usually a lurker here but wanted to thank everyone here...i only hope that no more pets will have to suffer...

i feel useless and very sad and empty...

[moose53]

((((((Wildpinky)))))),

I'm so sorry to hear about your dear kitty :(

This tragedy is so unnecessary and so painful.



I responded to another person's question about how to report problems with Menu Foods and what about getting reimbursed for vet bills. You all might want to take a look at this. (I'm no expert. I'm just good at finding things.) All of the people who've had pets affected by this atrocity need to stick together. I read, also, that one woman had died from consuming pet food (that doesn't surprise me).

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showpost.php?p=83242&postcount=3

Hugs for all of you.

Barb

[hsiw]

I just wanted to say here that you should not trust any wet food or dry food even. My baby's food WAS NOT on the list. She now has renal failure and the damage is permanent. I spoke with petsmart, and unlike those of you where they told you to return it - mine said it was safe if not on the list . I gave it to her and they added it to the list the day before I took her into the emergency room. They are constantly updating the list and adding more products.

I don't trust dry food either now. If you go to howl911.com you will see a link to a report with unofficial claims of Iams dry food causing renal failure. We are giving our other dog Charley people food until I can get up and make him homemade dog food. I think that is the safest thing for everyone to be doing. Please don't trust the same companies to be giving you safe "dry" food after there other food has led to thousands of deaths. There is also a counter of unofficial reports of deaths on that website. It is shocking and heart breaking.

[Doody]

(((Wildpinky))) I'm so sorry to hear about your sweet cat. :(

[Doody]

I'm not sure who to believe anymore, but 2 of my cats just demand wet cat food. Like someone else in here, they just suck the gravy off the food. Until recently when I discovered a Whiskas moist food product, and they inhale that stuff. They share a can each day.

Anyway, on the Whiskas web site they claim that none of their food comes from the tainted sources.

Just in case anyone uses the product. http://meowmix.com/

[~KELLWANTSANSWERS~]

{{{{wildpinky}}}}
I'm so very sorry to hear about your baby passing!
This just saddens my heart...All of this!!!!
Take care:hug:

I have been feeding my kitties friskees wet.{About 2 tsp a day}
However ,i have bought the new pouch foods they have out on occasion.
I think whiskas makes them.
I certainly didn't buy any of the more expensive food.
Yet,i a can't help but be concerned about all of the food.
We feel good about giving our babies lil treats..then something like this happens.
We just don't know and nobody should feel guilty..Especially if they called a"trusted" source and was told it was ok to continue to feed!
My sympathies go out to everyone that has lost a special baby this month!
:hug:

[Chemar]

I got a link to this site in my newsletter from Dr Weill today

seems their product is also available at PETCO and Whole Foods, and other outlets

http://www.petpromiseinc.com/index.htm

[Lara]

http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_03302007_en_US.htm
Hills Prescription Feline Dry Food

"Topeka, KS (March 30, 2007) - In accordance with its over-riding commitment to pet health and well-being, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market. Hill's is taking this precautionary action because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of melamine. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry represents less than one half of one percent of all Hill's products."

Recalled products

Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline dry food
52742 42770
(all lot numbers)
4 lb. bag

Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline dry food
52742 42790
(all lot numbers
10 lb. bag