Pet and Dog Food Poisoning Recall News

Pet/Dog Food Poisoning Recall News 5/21/07

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It is important to remember that all of the recalled products added together represent approximately 1% of commercially available pet foods. 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. This is a very useful site, with lots of information see this page.

5/11/07 - Possible pet food shortage. Advice.

5/5/07 - MSNBC : Federal officials on Friday placed a hold on 20 million chickens raised for market in several states because their feed was mixed with pet food containing an industrial chemical. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said Thursday that no evidence indicated any harm to humans from chicken or pork that had entered the market after having eaten melamine-contaminated feed.

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. New report details that producers of animal feed all over China have secretly supplemented their feed with melamine, a cheap additive that produces false protein readings in tests. The practice is allegedly widespread in China. Listing of recalled brands.

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Lists of Recalled Pet Foods

AVMA
The FDA
Menu Foods Recall list
Pet Food Tracker

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):

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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