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NEW JERSEY (March 23) Potentially tainted pet food is being
pulled from the shelves of local stores after pet deaths led
to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat
food the company produced and sold throughout North America.
It was unclear how many deaths would eventually be linked to
the "cuts and gravy" style food produced by Menu Foods, but
scientists said Friday they expected more would be
announced.Carroll County veterinarian offices verified there has been
one recordable incident in this county. Dr. Lee Butler, at
the Huntingdon Animal Clinic stated he treated one male cat
prior to the recall. The cat, which was determined to have
eaten tainted food, was treated and returned to normal
within three to four days.
Other local veterinarians have not treated any cases related
to pet food poisoning, but encouraged pet owners to be
cautious of the early warning signs.
Symptoms from eating contaminated food include those found
with kidney failure, which can induce vomiting, diarrhea,
unusual bad breath, increased thirst, and increase in urine
output.
"Vomiting may commence anywhere from 1-12 hours after eating
the contaminated food. Other symptoms can include salivating
and weakness," said McKenzie veterinarian Charles Smith.
Earlier last week henrycountian.com news reporter, Shannon
McFarlin, confirmed that a Paris veterinarian reported the
death of a cat, which ate tainted pet food involved in the
massive recall of products linked to Menu Foods of Ontario,
Canada.
Dr. Robert Gardner, owner of Paris Animal Clinic, said a
five-year-old cat died at the clinic of kidney failure after
eating one of the brands of wet cat food involved in the
recall.
Because symptoms of renal failure appear in about seven
other major illnesses, only chemical and blood tests can
narrow down the cause.
The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a
cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the
United States and is still used to kill rats in some other
countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker
said.
The federal government prohibits using aminopterin for
killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not
speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said
no criminal investigations had been launched.
Menu Foods, based in Ontario, Canada, said it would take
responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result
of the tainted food, but it was cold comfort to the owners
of pets sickened or killed.
Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney
failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats
and one dog. However, pet owners and veterinarians said the
tally could actually be higher.
There is no risk to pet owners from handling the food,
officials said.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation
into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food.
The gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but it
could have been contaminated.
Officials confirmed Friday that the wheat gluten was
purchased from China.
Scientists at two laboratories have tested three cat food
samples provided by the manufacturer and found aminopterin
in two of them. The labs are part of a network created after
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals
and food supply safe.
Aminopterin is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the
growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system.
In dogs and cats, the amount of aminopterin found - 40 parts
per million - can cause kidney failure.
Aminopterin is no longer marketed as a cancer drug, but is
still used in research.
Menu Foods does not believe the food was tampered with
because the recalled food came from two different plants,
one in Kansas, one in New Jersey. Menu continues to produce
food at the two plants.
The company, already facing lawsuits, said Friday it is
testing all the ingredients that go into the food.
Two other companies-Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's Pet
Nutrition, Inc.-have said that as a precaution they
voluntarily are recalling products they sell which were made
by Menu Foods.
According to a press release from Menu Foods, the recall is
limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and
pouches manufactured between Dec. 3, 2006, and March 6,
2007.
According to Menu Foods, it has been determined that the
timing of the production associated with the complaints
coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new
supplier. Menu Foods said it has stopped using the
ingredient.
Pet owners need to be mindful that products on the recall
list are sold at local stores. Media outlets have been
reporting only a limited number of brand names involved in
the recall, but a check of the Menu Foods web site provides
a complete list of the products, many of which are sold
locally.
The complete lists of recalled brand names are listed at
www.menufoods.com.
Recalled cat products are, but not limited to: America's
Choice, Preferred Pets, Authority, Best Choice, Companion,
Compliments, Demoulas Market Basket, Eukanuba, Fine Feline
Cat, Food Lion, Foodtown, Giant Companion, Hannaford, Hill
Country Fare, Hy-Vee, Iams, Laura Lynn, Li'l Red, Loving
Meals, Meijer's Main Choice, Nutriplan, Nutro Max Gourmet
Classics, Nutro Natural Choice, Paws, Pet Pride, President's
Choice, Price Chopper, Priority US, Save-A-Lot, Schnuck's,
Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans, Sophistacat, Special
Kitty Canada, Special Kitty US, Springfield Prize, Sprout,
Wegmans, Weis Total Pet, Western Family US, White Rose, Winn
Dixie.
Recalled dog products are, but not limited to: Your Pet,
America's Choice, Winn Dixie, Authority, Award, Best Choice,
Big Bet, Big Red Bloom, Wegmans Bruiser, Cadillac,
Companion, Demoulas Market Basket, Eukanuba, Food Lion,
Giant Companion, Great Choice, Hannaford, Hill Country Fare,
Hy-Vee, Iams, Laura Lynn, Loving Meals, Meijer's Main
Choice, Mighty Dog Pouches, Mixables, Nutriplan, Nutro Max,
Nutro Natural Choice, Nutro Ultra Ol' Roy Canada, Ol'Roy
USA, Paws, Pet-Essentials, Pet Pride, Good N'Meaty,
President's Choice, Price Chopper, Priority Canada, Priority
USA, Publix, Roche Brothers, Save-A-Lot, Schnuck's,
Springsfield Prize, Sprout, Stater Brothers, Weis Total Pet,
Western Family USA.
The company also designated two phone numbers that pet
owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866)
895-2708.
In a press release from Nestle Purina PetCare, the company
stated, "We at Nestle Purina PetCare Company know the
reports of pet food recalls and withdrawals over the past
week have been very concerning and at times confusing for
pet owners, who want to ensure the safety of the food they
are feeding their beloved pets.
We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that Mighty
Dog pouch products are the ONLY Purina (r) brand products
affected by Menu Foods' recall. Nestle Purina stands behind
the high-quality of our pet foods, and all Purina brand cat
food products and all other Purina brand dog food products,
including Mighty Dog canned products, can continue to be fed
to your pets with complete confidence."
The press release continued, "We also want to apologize for
any difficulty you may have had in reaching us by phone this
week. While we have dedicated numerous additional phone
lines, people and other resources exclusively for this
purpose, we understand that the volume of calls still has
occasionally exceeded our system capacity."
Nestle Purina PetCare posted some frequently asked questions
that may be helpful to your understanding of this situation
at http://updates.Purina.com. Purina will update the web
site as more information becomes available. If anyone has
questions or concerns, please call 1-800-551-7392 for the
Office of Consumer Affairs.
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