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Pet-food recall: Sick pet? We need to know
By Gina Spadafori
March 19, 2007
I am looking at my e-mail box in horror and sadness. Monday morning, and I’ve received an e-mail about somebody’s beloved pet dying. And another. And another. In the last hour, I’ve gotten an e-mail about every five minutes.
Tip of the iceberg? I’m so worried that it is.
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Our sweet chocolate lab died an agonizing death on friday morning March 17, 2007. My black lab is fighting to live today. The FDA has not called me back so I can report my dogs death. Menu Foods lines are busy so I cannot report her death. We need the people who complained to Menu Foods as early as December to come forward with their stories.
Comment by Allyson Jones — March 19, 2007 @ 12:16 pm
Not sure if you’ve already seen these heartbreaking comments:
http://www.gothamist.com/2007/.....p#comments
My thoughts go out to each of you with a pet affected. Our dog does not eat any of the brands listed but has had some stomach problems recently, so I am worried that this is far more widespread than what they are admitting. Why isn’t the mainstream media picking up more on this??
Comment by Shirley — March 19, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
I put my beloved Marko to rest on Feb. 8th to kidney failure. I now see this recall! He was given for the FIRST TIME this Mighty Dog wet food in late December/early January and became ill within a few days. After taking him to the vet, we watched him fade away. Eventually he had to be put to sleep. I AM FURIOUS. I lost my companion and I am pretty sure it is linked to this.
Whoever is going to represent us in a class action suit, include me! The loss broke my heart and now this infuriates me!
D. Baker
drbakerdesign@hotmail.com
Comment by Danny Baker — March 19, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
Greetings all,
I have a Mixed Breed Tabby (Allie) who has consumed recalled food, Iams Select Cuts. This food came in foil pouches and she as generally loved this product. She as eaten this same brand for quite some time, previously with no problems. Allies diet consists exclusively of Iams, the recalled moist food and dry food. Hence approximately one third of her daily diet was of the recalled moist food. Those of you who have feline companions, be aware of the percentage of the felines diet, wherein exclusive feeding of recalled food may produce more profound effects.
Recalled food was purchased on February 18, 2007 and symptoms of lethargy and loss of appetite was first noticed on February 22, 2007. After no signs of improvement while in quarantine we brought Allie to the Veterinarian on February 26, 2007. This same brand was also previously given to her, so the onset of symptoms is unsure, although symptons were noticed after 3 to 4 days of feeding verified recalled moist food.
Immediately the Veterinarian instructed me to bring Allie to the emergency clinic. That evening she was tested to reveal kidney failure and was immediately given a blood transfusion.
The emergency clinic retained her in a critical status and released her after three days. She was tested daily and closely monitored 24 hours/day. (aka intensive care) After release she was prescribed Doxycycline and Prednesone which she still takes three weeks later. Allie continues to be regularly monitored by the Veterinarian.
It is unknown at this time if the kidney damage is chronic. Further testing reveals slow but continued improvements, however normal renal values are not yet present.
Treatment costs thus far are approaching 3,000 dollars.
Good luck to all and those cute puppies and kittens.
Any official announcements can be sent to our radio station and we will read them on the air.
Meow,
Dominick
Electric Candle Radio Program
Saturday 3 to 6PM
http://www.wmucradio.com
Comment by Dominick — March 19, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
My cat had kidney failure after eating the recalled food. He was at the vet for 2 days on fluids but is doing better at home the last 2 days although still not his usual self. It is horrible and I am mad.
Comment by L. Kuz — March 19, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a pet due to the tainted food. This type of thing should not happen! As horrifying as this pet food recall is though, I’m thankful we have the Internet to spread the word. I imagine the loss of life would be even greater if people weren’t emailing…blogging…posting to message boards…and working hard to get the word out. So, if you haven’t done so already, please contact the pet people you know and tell them about the recall. If they haven’t heard about it yet, they need to know. A short note from you may save a pet’s life!
Comment by Therese — March 19, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
My wife and I made the decision to put our 14 year old cat named Abby down on 3/10/07 due to chronic kidney failure. That was heartbreaking enough, now I hear that the food that we were feeding her may have been the casue of this. Now I am mad and worried about our 12 year cat named Zoey as there are 12 empty cans of the recalled food. Teh two cats were on seperate diets as Zoey has a weight problem. After Abby’s passing, we were feeding Zoey the rest of the stock of Addy’s food. And now I find out that the food is bad and I face the chances that I may lose the second cat. As I said, I am mad.
Comment by Darin Umlauft — March 19, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
As I am reading all these horror stories I am beginning to wonder where all of you are located geographically. Would it be possible to try to pinpoint certain geographical areas being affected more than others? I would like to suggest that anyone who leaves a comment also include the location of where they purchased the food. Wishing you all the best. JMC
Comment by Joanne — March 20, 2007 @ 8:05 am
Joanne … we’ll be digging into our database later today. I CAN tell you, though, that a quick look reveals widespread illness and death — Manhattan to Mayberry, as Dr. Becker said yesterday.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 20, 2007 @ 8:22 am
I lost my dog of 11 years on Feb 24th after she went into renal failure from eating Ol Roy pouches. I have been so upset over this as my entire family. Something needs to be done about this.
Comment by Kelli Moore — March 20, 2007 @ 8:36 am
Our 14 yr. old cat, Zelda, ate this food every day, and was in perfect health. On Feb. 7th, she lost her appetite quite suddenly. By Sat., Feb. 10th, we had her hospitalized for a kidney failure diagnosis, as tests strongly indicated. By Mon., Feb 13th, we faced the painful decision of having her euthanized. She died of renal failure. We spent over $1,000 on tests, hospitalization, etc. Only five days had elapsed between the day she lost her appetite and her last living day on earth. It was devastating. We loved her so much, and she was my son’s best friend. I am still in possession of 38 pouches of “Special Kitty” brand food, with codes and dates that match ones on the recall list. I have no doubt in my mind now that this food is the cause of her death. Now it all makes sense. I’m still waiting for a call back from the PA state FDA complaint coordinator’s office. I still cannot get through to MenuFood’s posted phone numbers to call, and I have tried several times already. I purchased this food from Walmart in Erie, PA.
Comment by Becky Fox — March 20, 2007 @ 9:46 am
I am so sorry to hear of these beloved friends being taken from people. I have confirmed that not only did I purchase Special Kitty Select pouches that have been recalled, I have also fed both of my cats this food. I have obviously switched to a different cat food out of fear and am now watching both cats very closely. I am very worried and need to know what to look for. Can anybody help? I purchased this food in Lake County Illinois.
Comment by crissie — March 20, 2007 @ 9:55 am
Dear Pet owners,
Im so sorry for the pets you have lost because of this….god I dont have christian words to say what I need to say. Im watching my cats like crazy and like I said one had some test this morning.
Food Purchased at Walmart in gainesville and sherman tx.
Comment by Cheri — March 20, 2007 @ 10:17 am
Becky,
Bless your heart
Comment by Cheri — March 20, 2007 @ 10:17 am
Kellie,Im so sorry.
Comment by Cheri — March 20, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Dear D. Baker,
Amen on the class action suit. I kept my tainted cat food, just for this purpose..
Comment by Cheri — March 20, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Dear L Kuz,
did you rcat just get sick like over nite? Mine seems to be as good as ever…this makes me so sick.
Prayers with you and your pet.
Cheri
Comment by Cheri — March 20, 2007 @ 10:21 am
We had to put our beloved schnauzer, Sebastian (10-years old) to sleep Jan 19, 2007 from kidney failure. He suffered painful, heart-breaking last days. I’d given the canned Ole Roy cuts & gravy with dry food (Morristown, TN). We’d spent almost $2,000 the year before to stabalize him for diabetes, and then to lose him because he was basically “poisoned” by this food is overwelming to me. I’ve had panic attacks and grieved everyday since we made the difficultdecision that he was in too much pain to try to keep him going, and now to know why is almost impossible to comprehend.
Comment by Tammy Brewer — March 20, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
A few weeks ago my Cat Apollo started losing his appetite. At first we thought maybe he didn’t like his food anymore so we switched him from Nutro Natural Choice Weight Management to Nutro Natural Choice Senior since he was getting on in years (He’s turning 9 this year—we hope)
After a day of not eating we took him to our Vet who noticed he had an Infected tooth and recommended Surgery. Just to be on the safe side he took some blood and urine to test. He called us Tuesday upset that Apollo’s blood work showed his kidney’s were shutting down. We took him to the hospital Immediately and they put him on IV Fluids. After 3 days they did another blood test and there was no improvement. They did an ultrasound which showed a swellign of his Kidney but none of his Bloodwork showed signs of infection. His Urine Culture also came back negative. After a few days of Anti biotics (Just in case) his results showed massive improvment. 10 days later his blood work came back elevated again. He needs to get retested. Then we heard about the recall and notriced that the food we were feeding him when he got sick was on the recall list. We match up the UPC numbers to check. Evn the food we switched him to was on the list. Our second cat is being tested now and we’re waitign on the results. Apollo is alive and well but not in the clear yet.
Comment by Rafael — March 20, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
My cat is suffering from kidney failure after eating ‘Special Kitty’ made by Menufoods.
The can packaging she has eaten is not among the recalled packaging listed for Special Kitty.
If Menufoods does not know the cause of these
outbreaks, how do they know which product types
to recall? I have seen several articles online with cat owners whose pets have died after eating Special Kitty.
Comment by Chris Olivero — March 20, 2007 @ 1:07 pm
I am very concerned about my dog. She eats Nutro Choice Senior Bites Small. She has been extremely thirsty, peeing in the house, peeing a lot etc. She never pees in the house. I don’t know what to do. I am terrified this is much bigger than they are reporting. She is going to the vet tomorrow at 9 am.
Comment by Kelly — March 20, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
My close friend’s cat died 2 weeks ago from acute kidney failure. She was eating the Iams food (gravy style) that was listed on the menu web food web-site. The serial number on the food,matched what was posted on the site as well. Her cat had never been sick until she changed her to this wet food a couple of weeks earlier. When her cat went into renal failure she took it to the U of penn vet school hospital who were not clear on what caused the kidney, although my friend kept telling them she recently changed her food. She ended up spending close to ten grand at U of P.
Comment by anne ross — March 20, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Our cat Daisy stopped eating suddenly on March 5. We took her to the vet the next day. He gave her some medication for upset stomach and said to bring her back Friday if not better. She grew progressively worse—not eating, lethargic, hiding in the closet. We took her back Thursday and blood work revealed kidneys 75% destroyed. We had her euthanized the following day. Then one week later, the pet food recall was announced. She had been eating the IAMS in 3 oz cans since August. They matched the recalled food codes. I had changed her food because of an article in the paper that said cats should not eat dry food exclusively because of carbohydrates! How I wish I had never changed her. Her food was all purchased at Wal Mart in Roanoke, Tx, a suburb of Fort Worth. I reported to the FDA in Dallas yesterday. As of 3:00 p.m. he had 60 claims filed from this area. I will be surprised if the tainted food was only within the recall dates. I have heard of people whose numbers were a little outside the posted dates, and their pets have become ill.
Comment by Gloria Rose — March 20, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
My 9 year old perfectly healthy cat,Lucy , started vomiting, drinking
a lot , barely moving and refusing to eat while I was briefly out of
town in January. My husband emailed me his concern.
As soon as I returned I took her to the vet. Blood panel revealed
acute renal failure. She was put in intensive care on an I.V. for
several days.
When her blood levels improved she came home. She was still a very
sick cat and I didn’t know if she’d survive.
To keep her alive I had to inject her with subcutaneous fluids
daily, feed her dilute baby food by syringe and administer two
medications morning and night.
After a month and a half she seems much improved, but my vet says her kidneys are permanently damaged and she will always need this high maintenance care to keep her well.
When I heard about the recall on March 16th, I checked the list of
contaminated food from Menu Foods. Yes, the brands and flavors I have fed her were on the list.
Menu Foods announced on the site they will only compensate those whose pets actually died , and with proof that their pets ate food from the contaminated cans with the correct numbers on them.
Who keeps all their empty pet food cans over a month or two in case
they have to file a claim the manufacturer?
Meanwhile I have a cat that’s permanently disabled from poisoning and a $2000 vet bill on my VISA card to pay down.
Ray Gwyn Smith
Comment by ray gwyn smith — March 20, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
Our 2 1/2 year old Mastiff, Frankie, was being treated for acid reflux (regurgitation) and giardia. Because of that, our vet had him on Euk. Low Residue dry and canned food (both purchased 12/5/06). He ate a case (24 cans) of the canned food within a 2 week period.
On Christmas Eve, we rushed him to an animal hospital where he spent 5 days and learned the sad news he had kidney failure. I called Eukanuba and they told me the Rx foods were not included in the recall. I question this since renal failure is nowhere in his line, it is rare in Mastiffs (esp. young Mastiffs) and the timing of his renal failure. (I’ve read that reports of problems go back to 12/3/06.)
We have over $6,000 in vet bills and spend $100 per week feeding him a renal diet. His medication runs about $75 per month. Of course I’m grateful our Frankie is still with us and would spend any amount on him, he’s my baby.
Alicia in Ohio
Comment by Alicia McFarland — March 20, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Our 14 year old cat was euthanized on 2/28/07
after a very quick decline in health.He changed from a healthy active cat to a very sick cat within a matter of two days. The change was remarkably fast. He became lethargic,dehydrated,and would not eat. The only water he would take was from bowls we put under his nose. After waiting two days to get into the Vet I was told he most likely had advanced kidney disease and that tests and treatment would be quite expensive with no guarantee of recovery. It broke my heart but I asked to have him euthanized. I felt so guilty but I knew he would be out of his pain. This cat ate IAMS Variety Pack of Salmon and Tuna purchased at Price Chopper on 2/19/07 in Saugerties NY. He had been eating this food for well over a year. I gave away the leftover food to a coworker with cats but fortunately she has not used it. I am waiting for her to return it to me so I can check the codes.
Bless all of you owners who went to extraordinary means to save your pets.
Comment by Pat Shaw — March 20, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
I wife and I lost one cat to kidnay failure on 3/10/07 and our second one in currently in an ICU unit for kidney failure. My heart sank as I counted 12 empty cans of the recalled Iams cat food. This just make me sick and angry.
Comment by Darin Umlauft — March 21, 2007 @ 7:25 am
I fed my 2-year old Akita, Samantha, Authority Soft Dog food an recently switched to Eukanuba soft because the people at PetSmart said it would be better for her??? Turns out both are manufactured by the same compnay. Last week I came home from work and Samantha had thrown up all over the house. Since then she doesn’t show signs of Renal Failure but we are going to the vet tonight to make sure. Everyone’s stories are scaring me and I hope that if she has been poisoned I catch it in time. I am sorry for all of those who have lost a pet…..they are definitely important members of everyone’s family.
Comment by Scott Aulinskis — March 21, 2007 @ 7:53 am
We have two 2 yr old cats, Kaleb and Kosmo. They have both been eating Special Kitty pouches for the past 2 yrs, at least one pouch each daily. Approx. 4 weeks ago Kosmo was clearly not herself and vomiting a ton. She was very lathargic and had not been eating for a few days. I finally took her to the vet and they kept her there on Sub Q fluids for a week. She had a fever of 104.7. They finally told us that she was diagnosed with Acute Renal Failure and the it was “freakish” becuase she was only 2. They let us take her home but for a week, she needed to be on an appetite stimulant, antibiotic, and have a Sub Q fluid shot daily for that week, and they would recheck her kidney values. We took her home after she was so emotionally damaged from being at the vet for a week. She was not herself at all. As the days went on she became a little more herself and with the appetite stimulant she was eating. The problem is that the recall hadnt been known, so I continued feeding her the Special Kitty, she is a picky eater so that is all she would eat.
We took her back in for her kidney value check, and the following day the Dr. told us she needed to come in again and be on the Sub Q fluids because he values had gone back up. We decided to go to another vet and get a second opinion. They did and ultra sound on her and found toxins in her kidneys. They said she needed to stay there on fluids again to try and get her values back down. Which she is still there at this moment and it breaks my heart to visit her and not be able to take her home.
In the meantime Kaleb had been vomitting and drinking a ton of water and just laying on the kitchen floor which was very unusual. So a day later the recall came out and I freaked and brought her in for an exam. She said that she had lost a lot of weight and her kidneys felt swollen but not as bad as Kosmo’s. They drew blood from her and kept her there on Sub Q fluids for a precaution. I am currently waiting to hear the results from her blood work.
Our cats mean everything to us, and they are so young. What they are going through is not fair to them or us as pet owners. I wish there were something we could do, but we both feel helpless. Our vet bills are sky high. I am so furious and believe that Menu Foods so have to recover the costs in some way. I don’t even care about that as much as I care about just getting my babies back and healthy.
Comment by Kerrie — March 21, 2007 @ 8:37 am
Kerrie
Ask your vets office if your cats could receive fluids subcutaneously at home. You can do it, I promise, and it will save you a lot of money. And your cats will be at home and more comfortable. I’ve been giving it to Rupert twice a day for over a week.
Comment by Joyce Finlay — March 21, 2007 @ 8:47 am
Dry food, everyone is asking about dry food. I have something to share about that. I had a mixed lab dog named Buster. He was my child, my companion, and my friend. I loved my dog with all of my heart. I took him to the vets in Sept 06 for annual testing and all was good (his kidneys were functioning normally). But on Dec 17 he became lethargic and sick, I took him immediately to the vets that monday and on Tues they got the results back and he was in kidney failure. 80% of his kidneys not functioning. The vet was shocked and began the conversation with ‘Chris, I didn’t expect this and don’t know how to tell you but…’ Buster died that Saturday, December 23rd. As I write this, I am crying. So, you are wondering what he ate? Beneful dry food. You can’t tell me there isn’t more to this story! Coincidence? Maybe, but I don’t think so. My dog was running around Dec 16th and one week later he died. If ANYONE has any info regarding this, please let me know…it’s tearing me apart.
Comment by christine kelly — March 21, 2007 @ 8:52 am
Our dog Gauge became suddenly ill on 12/30/06 with vomiting,legarthy and obvious pain. Our vet was closed due to the Holiday so we took him to the emergency vet clinic. They admitted him for observation and called us in the middle of the night for permission to do an exploratory surgery. We agreed. They found nothing definitive but his lab tests from the time of admission continued to get worse and worse IE: Severe kidney and liver failure with no explanation of why. A splecialist was called in and after many tests his condition was deemed grave and irreversible. We were advised to put him to sleep and did so at 8:30pm on New Years Eve. One minute we had a happy, healthy 9 year old dog- the absolute love of our lives - and the next minute he was gone. After 3 months of wondering what happened and why, I believe we now have the answer and it sickens and horrifies us. We were poisoning our dog!! Gauge was fed Iams dry and wet food through out his life. There was a report on MSNBC today that said pet owners had reported their pets showing abnormal behavior in their last days such as rooting through the trash, taking food off the counter and begging for treats, all while shying away from their food. Gauge was doing all of these things and the memory of getting cross with him for this totally out of character behavior will haunt me forever. He obviously knew that something was wrong and could not tell us why. For 2 1/2 months I could not bear to throw away the left over can of Iams dog food in the fridge. If I threw it away that would mean he was gone forever. I brought myself to do this 2 weeks ago without ever knowing I was throwing away evidence of him being poisoned. I am trying to locate Walmart receipts dating back in December. However, receipt or no receipt I am convinced that Gauge was one of the first victims of this tragedy. We are now trying to locate an attorney here in Sarasota, FL that will take this case either class action or single plaintiff. We can never replace him and the money means nothing, but something has to be done to give us some sort of closure for the senseless loss of the best friend we will ever have.
Comment by Carolyn E — March 21, 2007 @ 9:16 am
We had a happy healthy German Shepherd that would have been 8 years old this past Sunday. In January she became lethargic, started vomiting, drinking excessively. She was on dry food but a different brand than usual. We took her to the vet where they diagnosed Lyme. Tests also showed elevated protein in her urine. She began the antibiotic therapy over the weekend. By Monday she was vomiting more than ever and we rushed her back to the vet. They put her on IV fluids and she improved. We brought her home on Wednesday along with cans of Eukanuba Low-Residue. Thursday she was so bad again we took her back to the vet. She had developed Horners Syndrome as well. She was re-admitted once again. Friday we took her for an ultra-sound of her abdomen and the only thing they found was gastroenteritis. She came home with us that night as she seemed to be a little better and our vet does not have weekend care. Saturday she went down hill so fast, could barely walk, difficulty breathing. We rushed her to the animal ER where they diagnosed her with aspiration pneumonia. We made the difficult decision to put her down. The vet was at a loss as to how and why she deteriorated so fast. I know dry food is not involved in the recall nor is the RX food but it still makes me wonder. The Lyme could have been further along than we thought and attacked her kidneys. We just don’t know. I have so many questions and no answers.
Comment by Laura Spitko — March 21, 2007 @ 9:29 am
I am sick about the timing and actions of the companies involved-this is a CRIME! I did not feed my 5 month old puppies this until 3/11, the company had already had their lab pets die weeks prior to this!
I understand complaints started back as far as January, that’s how they knew which vendor’s product must be the cause, since they started using them in December.
If my dogs don’t die, what other organs may be involved and what if they are just a little damaged? Who is answering questions?
Comment by Virginia Hall — March 21, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Dominic (Nick for short) is my baby. He is a 1 1/2 year old Russian Blue ,indoor only, kitty who was a stray 8 months ago. We found our cat, Nick, last July, fragile, sick, very skinny, dehydrated and listless as it was over 100 degrees for more than 10 days in a row at that time. He seemed to have been adandoned, although was very loving and friendly. We took him to the vet where we learned not only is he a pure bred Russian Blue but was only 9 months old. We spent hundreds of dollars getting him well and fattened up again, and at his last checkup in early February he was doing perfect.We did find out he has Bartonella virus and the Vet put him on antibiotics for 21 days. For several months we had been switching wet food back and forth as he is a pretty picky guy. He munches occasionally on an indoor dry food, but he doesn’t have many teeth (seems his life before our household may have been kinda rough). I had finally found a food that he would eat longer than two days in a row, Special Kitty in the foil pouches. I went into Walmart here in Stockton, CA on Sunday evening to buy him more food. I found the shelves empty yet could not find out why. I asked 11 store employees only to be told they knew nothing other than food had been recalled. I purchased a 24 pack of Fancy Feast and left frustrated to go home and search the internet. What I read made my stomach drop. Nick has rarely drank much water, but for the last few days had been drinking bowl after bowl, drinking from my shower floor, sinks, even washed out cereal bowls. I picked up my beloved boy and went in tears to talk to my husband. I called my vet Monday morning who cancelled appointments to get Nick in first thing. Although he was acting normally and eating just fine, the vet was concerned. He recommended blood work and a urinalysis. Well, just got word from the Vet and Nick is not in renal failure, seems his kidneys are ok. Although his white count is reduced. Our vet thinks that this could be due to the antibiotic therapy he is on, however his urinalysis shows very dilute urine. Course of treatment: keep on the antibiotics, watch for further unusual symptoms and when done with the meds (4/2/07) monitor the water intake. My vet says that it is very possible he was sickened by the tainted food, as he had been eating virtually nothing but that, prior to Sunday, for about two months. However, our Vet pointed out, the antibiotics for the Bartonella may actually have protected him from traumatic effects. We will see how he progresses over the next 10 days, and if anything changes. I pray for all of you out there who are suffering devestating losses and whose pets are very ill. May God Bless each of you and your “kids”. I will be filing a report with the FDA just as a precaution in case something does go wrong. I only have one pouch left of the Special Kitty, and the dates do not match the recall list, but I am saving it anyway. I think the tainted products may be farther reaching than is being expressed. We simply cannot allow a company such as Menu Foods to have such a dramatic effect on the people and pets in this Nation and not hold them accountable.
Comment by Amy Boda — March 21, 2007 @ 11:25 am
My 10 year old dog who is a shihtzu is currently has diarreah and Lots of red blood in her stool. She was on Nutro Senior canned dogs food that have been in the recall.
She is drinking tons and tons of water. She just had blood work done 2 weeks ago(before I knew about the recall) and it was fine. Today she is going in for another round of bloodwork. I am hoping it is not the food, if so watch out LAWSUIT! Sucks, though cuz I don’t have any of the cans left. UGHH!!!!
It might be something else. I will keep you updated.
Comment by Carrie — March 21, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
indoor cat - regular checkups
Sharing 1 pouch per day of IAMS SELECT BITES as a supplement to dry food (purina)
About early feb - her companion cat stopped eating the wet food - she thought this was great and started finishing up his portion as well
Week of 2/18 - small cat voilently vomits bile like fluids - I immed take her to vet
her renal chemistry is off the charts
Vet shakes his head - I say lets try something to give her a chance
she is hosptialised for 3 days - not much change - he suggessts maybe another couple of days on intense fluid treatments & antibiotics - we leave her in for 4 more days -
Her chemistries start to improve.
At home now for 2 weeks - on subcutaneous fluid therapy twice daily & special diet.
Vet says he is not sure how much of her kidneys are permanently damaged without more invasive procedures - but could be as high as 75% based on her intial test results.
Good news is her chemistries were almost completey normal this week - plan is to take one more set of tests and back her off to fluid therapy 1xday with a phosphorus binder and see if she can remain stable
I have bagged up all the IAMS boxes I still had left and she is now on a special diet.
I am exploring other diet options for my older (but apparently wiser) cat - although now that things are stable for the little one - he is going in for precautionary testing this Friday anyway.
Sidenote: the little cat has shown a enlarged lymph node in its submandibular area now - - it was tested and from that sample there were no cancerous cells, but the lymph node is reactive to something. Vet thinks it could possibly be as a result of all the blood draws from her neck area. So we have to keep an eye on that now as well.
P.S.
Oh & Thanks Iams and MenuFoods for being such outstanding corporate citizens and reaching out to help all the victims of your negligence.
Oh and by the way - I have not been able to get through on any of your phone lines to make any report!
Knowing that in this day and age you could use technology on your website to gather data - but that would be taking accountability - - oops my mistake.
Comment by elllen — March 21, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
Can anyone tell me if the canned either dog food or cat food called Paws Whole is under the recall? I can’t seem to get any info on this even thought Paws dog and cat food is on the recall list. I need to know what types,too. If somebody could email me at gmakoontz@hotmail.com I’d be really happy. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
Comment by Kris — March 21, 2007 @ 10:21 pm
My blind cat, “Little Snout” has been eating Special Kitty wet food from Walmart for almost 4 years now. We buy 3-4 weeks worth at a time. In early February he began throwing up every night and urinating alot. He also quit “talking”. He is normally a very vocal cat because of his blindness he walks around and trills when he is trying to find the other cats to play with. He became lethargic and quit playing. We took him to the vet and they ran a battery of tests on him and could not find what was wrong with him. I was so very upset that I was never gonna hear my sweet Little Snout’s voice again. Or that he would no longer chase his balls that he plays with down the hall.
When our “stock” of food ran out and we bought a new batch, he bagan to show a slow improvement. He bagan to play again and little by little to talk again.
When I heard of the recall it all started to make sense. But here is the kicker. THEY ARE STILL NOT CLAIMING HIS FOOD ON THE RECALL LIST!!!!! They say just the kind with chunks. Some of the cans that my cat ate does have a bit of gravy to it but is not chunky. Maybe it doesn’t cause the severe cases that end in death, but people need to be aware of this!!!! PLease everybody DO NOT FEED ANY SPECIAL KITTY FOOD TO YOUR CAT!!! I feel very strongly that we are not being told about all the products even still. I feel very fortunate to still have my little guy and hurt very badly for all those who no longer have their pets due to this company not reporting the problem when it first was discovered. When it is all said and done thousands not hundreds of cases will surface.
Comment by Jana DaVee — March 21, 2007 @ 11:21 pm
We have 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 parakeets. We love our animals. We live in the Washington State and buy pet food from various places, Petco, Walmart, Target depending what is on sale because each critter has it own particularities in food choices. I am happy to say that I have not found any of the recalled food #’s on our pets foods.
But, I am getting off track a bit. Many years ago I had a German Shepherd who developed parvo even after having all of his shots. He was treated by our local vet (Dr. Laura) who never gave up on him, even to the point of us locating his parents for a possible blood transfusion. (They were police and rescue dogs).
He was a very sick dog even after coming home and I started cooking for him exclusive meals. We do not have to rely on manufacturers to feed our pets… it’s just easier that way. After seeing what has now happened, I think I’ll go back to doing that. I use to prepare enough for a week at a time.
I’ve got some recipes (German Shepherd size), if you would like them.
I will have to research my cat recipes, buy for now mine… will have to suffer on last year’s catch of Halibut from Homer, AK.
Carla
Comment by Carla Wilson — March 22, 2007 @ 1:04 am
I;m wondering if the problem is even bigger. Though it might not be related, during the last week of OCTOBER, my lab became suddenly and violently ill. I took her to the vet and they did blood tests and asked if there was any way she could have gotten into poison or have been poisened. I thought that was impossible since there were no poisons in my house. She had to be euthanized for liver and kidney failure. I fed her Mighty Dog cuts and gravy in the pouch for the last few years-now I wonder if the food was contaminated even before the dates they are saying…I’ll always wonder…
Comment by Pat — March 26, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Reading this thread is heartbreaking.
My daughters outside cat Jasper died last month after having been fed only the moist packs of food. He was fine and within a few days was gone.
I have another friend who lost a golden retriever a few weeks ago. This is in York County Pa.
If you cannot find a receipt for the pet food you were feeding your pet and you used a credit card to pay for it, it is possibe to retrieve a receipt at Target for the purchase. Since Target does this I am sure other stores have the capability.
You have to take the used can or pouch to the store and ask them to look up the sku with your credit card.
There is so much sadness and the press seems to not be covering this event enough.
It also seems to me the Vets should have noticed this earlier because there are alot of people who have so much money being spent to save their beloved pets.
Comment by FranApple — March 31, 2007 @ 9:18 am
My dog that I’ve had now for 8 1/2 years died March 26, 2007. She was like my child and I was feeding her Ol’ Roy dry dog food and at the time I didn’t think about it and we buried her and just thought it was old age, now since the dog food recall keeps recalling different ones if it could have been the food. Like I said she was like my baby she went everywhere with me and slept me where ever I was she was.
Comment by Kisty Barnes — May 5, 2007 @ 11:26 am
Prior to the recall both of my cats stopped eating and started to throw up. I called the vet upon hearing the recall and was told it didn’t include the Iams dry. I’m 100% sure it was and later received an email from PETA stating cats where sick from an excess of vitamin D in the hard food. Iams still doesn’t support this. I switched both cats to new food and they stopped vomiting and perked up within days. Yesterday Rita was diagnosid with Kidney failure and where not sure of the outcome. Please let me know if anyone else has experience a similar experience.
Thank You
Shana Gibson shanaamy@hotmail.com
Canada
Comment by Shana — June 24, 2007 @ 9:25 am
Hi- I was wondering if anyone has heard of dogs getting sick from Iams dry food recently. I just opened a new bag yesterady, and both of my dogs are now sick…
Comment by Casey Parks — November 18, 2007 @ 1:10 pm