Pet and Dog Food Poisoning Recall News

Pet/Dog Food Poisoning Recall News 5/21/07 (this page has 2 continuation pages) See this page for latest news

It is important to remember that all of the recalled products added together represent approximately 1% of commercially available pet foods. There are still many safe pet foods and treats available. Our Recommended Brands: Breeders Choice and Nature's Logic are not affected by the recalls

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5/21/07 - pet foods not on the recall list. See continuation page.

5/5/07 - MSNBC : chickens contaminated. See continuation page.

5/4/07 - Financial Post. A major pet food recall has expanded again as manufacturer Menu Foods Income Fund revealed evidence of cross-contamination by some cat and dog food pulled since March. The FDA still says that only 16 deaths of cats and dogs have been confirmed as the result of poisoned pet food.
5/3/07 - Menu Foods Inc. has expanded its extensive pet food recall to include one brand of Roundy's pet food sold at the Milwaukee grocer's stores throughout the Midwest.

5/2/07 - Post Chronicle online: China has been spiking cat and dog food all along. A new report details that producers of animal feed all over China have secretly supplemented their feed with the substance, called melamine, a cheap additive that produces false protein readings in tests. The practice is allegedly widespread in China, according to the New York Times, and has little regulatory supervision. Listing of recalled brands.

4/29/07 - Post Chronicle online: California officials have revealed that the contamination has made it into the human food chain: About 45 state residents ate pork from hogs that consumed animal feed laced with melamine from China.

4/26/07 - Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite Dog Food and Adult Dry Cat Food have been voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer because the products could contain rice protein concentrate tainted with melamine. See AVMA website for details, latest developments.

4/18/07 - 4/26/07 - More bad news. More foods - Natural Life and Natural Balance, Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, recalled. Calif Hog Farm quarantined. Drs. Foster and Smith recall several brands. See AVMA website for details.

CNN 4/5/07 - The FDA identifies additional contaminated pet food -- dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills of Red Bay, Alabama. Contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten. The FDA also said Menu Foods is expanding its recall of products by widening the range of manufacturing dates in the recall. The company will announce the new dates later 4/5.

National Ledger 4/4/07 - Salmonella, new threat, not related to previous recalls. Eight In One, Inc., division of United Pet Group, Inc., recalled all lots of Dingo Chicken Jerky treats due to concerns they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were sold at Target, PetSmart and other retailers. Treats on this recall are Dingo Chick'n Jerky3.5 oz. and 8 oz. for dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky 1.5 oz. for cats and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky 1.5 oz for ferrets.

Del Monte news 4/3/07 - The company recalled pet treats under the Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands. Call (800) 949-3799 for more information. The information is also on the company's Web site at www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html .

CNN 4/3/07 - 3 more companies recalled pet food. Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of nearly 100 store- and major-brand pet foods, announced the first recall March 16. Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Del Monte Pet Products and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. have since recalled some of their products as well. The number of confirmed pet deaths remains at roughly 15. Cats appear to have been especially susceptible to the contamination.

CNN 3/31/07 - Nestle Purina PetCare Company recalled all sizes and varieties of its ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food, adding those to a growing list of pet food tainted with wheat gluten containing the toxic agent melamine.

CNN 3/30/07 - Hill's Pet Nutrition recalled Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food as a precaution because it may contain a hazardous chemical identified earlier Friday by the FDA to be associated with a recall of over 90 types of wet pet food.

CNN 3/27/07 - Veterinary group reports 471 cases of pet kidney failure . • Pet food maker confirms 16 deaths; . • Banned rodent poison aminopterin has been cited as the likely culprit. Scientists so far have offered no theories on how aminopterin got into the products of Menu Foods, which makes pet food for most of North America's top retailers.

Associated Press story 3/24/0 The FDA asks those with sick or dead pets to call FDA state complaint coordinators. A list of contacts for such coordinators is available at
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

FDA News Release update 3/24/07 - Menu Foods, Inc. has identified the potentially contaminated products on the Internet at www.menufoods.com/recall.htm The product listing was expanded and updated as of March 23.

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Advice from the American Veterinary Medical Assoc re: Is there going to be a shortage of pet food? Should I cook homemade food for my pet(s)?

A: It is important to remember that all of the recalled products added together represent approximately 1% of commercially available pet foods. There are still many safe pet foods and treats available.

Cooking homemade meals for your pets is not the same as cooking meals for yourself. Dogs and cats have different nutritional needs, which are very different from human nutritional needs. In addition, many human foods, such as grapes, onions and chocolate, can be toxic to pets. Commercially made pet foods have been developed with the guidance of animal nutritionists, and still represent the most balanced diets available for your pets. If you choose to cook for your pet, please go to http://www.avma.org/press/releases/070404_homemade_diets.asp for information.

Listing of Recalled Menu Pet Food (see halfway below) Brought to you by The Very Best Latest Total News on this Problem is at the AVMA Website: American Veterinary Medical Assoc. All that we report below and more is usually there, as fast as we report it here. But this is our attempt (see details at left and below):

mid March - Menu Foods with more than 90 brand names recalls wet food
March 30 - Hills Pet Nutrition recall of Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food as a precaution
March 31 - Nestle Purina PetCare Company is recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food
April 3 - DelMonte recalls select treats, including select dog snack and wet food sold under private labels. See www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html .
April 4 - Salmonella, new threat unrelated to previous recalls.. Eight In One, Inc. has recalled all lots of Dingo Chicken Jerky treats due to Salmonella contamination concerns.
April 5 - The FDA identified additional contaminated pet food products -- dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills of Red Bay, Alabama. The dog biscuits are contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten. The FDA also said Menu Foods is expanding its recall of products by widening the range of manufacturing dates in the recall.
Menu Foods brands, the original pet food identified with this problem, constitutes the largest number of brands recalled and so most of the information here is about that company's recall. And it is probably the food you should pay most attention to.

April 30 : New Listing from the Post Chronicle online of recalled food.

Menu Food Web Sites Listing Recalled Pet Food Products

1. Recalled Menu Foods Cat Product Information
Last Updated: March 23, 2007
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html
2. Recalled Menu foods Dog Product Information
Last Updated: March 23, 2007
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html
3. Frequently Menu Foods Asked Questions For Consumers
Last Updated: March 23, 2007
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/FAQ_Consumer.htm

Menu Foods Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

( This number, as you might imagine, is overwhelmed at times). CNN on-line http://www.cnn.com/ provides fairly comprehensive current news (click the US News tab at the home page) A comprehensive summary of the recalls, with details, is available online from the American Veterinary Medical Assoc.

Associated Press story : The FDA is asking those with sick or dead pets to call FDA state complaint coordinators. A list of contacts for such coordinators is available at
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

What exactly is covered by the Menu Foods Recall and for what timeframe?

The recall is limited to “cuts and gravy” style pet food in cans and foil pouches produced on specific dates and times between December 3, 2006, and March 6, 2007 in two of Menu’s plants. The recall affects 42 brands of cat food and 53 brands of dog food. In order to determine whether cat and dog food that your pet consumed is subject to recall, you should refer to the list of brand names at the Menu Foods website (see links at right).

If your pet is exhibiting any signs of kidney failure please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, disorientation and changes in water consumption and urination. If you suspect that you have fed the recalled pet food to your cat or dog, save any remaining pet food and the can or pouch. Open cans or pouches may be double-bagged in sealable plastic and kept in the freezer.

If Menu Foods product is the cause of sickness or death, Menu Foods will take responsibility. Menu has engaged a professional firm to manage your concerns and is currently contacting concerned pet owners who have reached its call center. Specific direction will be received from these individuals. Please keep copies of all your vet records and receipts for pet food purchases as well as vet bills.

Just a Note

From our research into this Pet Food Recall it is obvious that The Pet Food industry is a highly complex, interwoven business that takes advantage, as do most businesses these days, of global and centralized procurement and production to produce products sold under 100s of brand names. This actually has advantages for you, the consumer: it provides - under large scale purchasing and production circumstances, and normal circumstances - a less expensive than "otherwise," but reasonable quality pet food for mass consumption.

You might be surprised to find that Menu Foods produces pet food for so many brands. But that's the way it is, just as GE (General Electric) produces everything from light bulbs, to GE TVs to other TV brand names, to appliances under brand names like Monogram®, GE Profile Performance™, GE Profile™, GE® and Hotpoint® brands as well as several private-label brands... Does that mean there is no difference in quality or the specifics in each brand? No, it does not. Each brand specifies its requirements that the manufacturer must meet. They are not all the same -- though Menu Foods produces 100s of brands, each brand can be different depending on its specific requirements for ingredients.

See also: http://www.petfoodreport.com/aboutpetfood.htm "Veterinarians agree that pets are living longer, healthier lives since the use of commercially prepared pet foods became widespread. Decades of research have gone into the development of pet food to make sure the special nutrition needs of pet dogs and cats are met."

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