Do you like this story?
Pet food recall: Well, hello, Associated Press!
By Christie Keith
March 27, 2007
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page.
Bringing this up from the comments. Thanks, Kim:
ALBANY, N.Y. — Members of a veterinarians’ Web site reported at least 471 cases of kidney failure among pets in the 10 days since a nationwide pet food recall and the founder of the site said the total could be in the tens of thousands.
Paul Pion, the founder of the Veterinary Information Network, a Web site of 30,000 veterinarians and veterinary students, said Tuesday the number of reported cases had already grown higher than the 471, but he wouldn’t have an updated tally for a few days.
Of the 471 cases reported, 104 animals died, 59 survived and the rest were still undergoing treatment, Pion said. The survey results were earlier reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory last week identified the rodent poison aminopterin as the likely culprit in the scare that prompted the recall of 95 brands of “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food by Menu Foods of Ontario, Canada.
Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog. Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid that was once used to induce abortions and is now banned as a rodent poison in the United States, can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats.
“I’m sure we haven’t seen half the cases and if you double what we’ve seen, it’s a thousand,” Pion told The Associated Press Tuesday. “If we’re only getting 10 percent of the veterinarians, you can do the math.”
“The bottom line is, it’s much more than 16,” Pion said.
Veterinary Information Network provides a secure site where veterinarians share clinical information and other resources such as conference schedules and continuing education courses.
Researchers at the New York food lab, Cornell University and other labs continued Tuesday to try to pinpoint which individual ingredients were tainted with the poison, officials said. They also said there could still be undetected hazards in the food.
Pion, a California veterinarian, said only 10 percent to 20 percent of his Web site’s members had responded to a request for information.
“We are trying to do a more widespread survey in a more structured way,” he said.
A spokesman for Menu Foods did not immediately return a call for comment.
Here’s the rest of the Associated Press piece.
Reminding you:
- Call the FDA to report your information
- Call your veterinarian and ask him or her to report to your state veterinarian, also for the FDA
- Enter your pet in our database
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary
Share & Enjoy
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Google Buzz
|
Digg
|
|
Technorati
|
StumbleUpon
|
Delicious
|
Email
|
Home
NOW NOW NOW is the time to email the congressmen who are doing this. Hurry!!!
We can’t just complain (bad dog) - we MUST praise when they do the right thing!!!
Please let them know how much we appreciate their effort!!
(click on their names at howl911.com for direct links to their sites)
Comment by Evy — March 27, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
A quick Google search (of News) reveals that media all over the country are finally, finally, FINALLY reporting this, and picking up the AP story.
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
There is something radically wrong with news reporting in our country when the flow is almost totally controlled by one company.
Comment by John Pierce — March 27, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
Be sure and go to the AP story link - you can post your COMMENTS and they show up almost instantly. No need to register either!
I was the first comment!
Comment by Becky — March 27, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
If you are looking for a home-cooked pet diet, try balanceit.com. This website has recipes developed by board certified vet nutritionists. You can get a FREE recipe by entering the promo code “homemade”. Happy Cooking!
Comment by Leslie Melnyk — March 27, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
There is something radically wrong with news reporting in our country when the flow is almost totally controlled by one company.
Comment by John Pierce
Makes you wonder who’s controlling what gets released, when, and how doesn’t it?
Comment by Steve — March 27, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
Talk about controlling, my comment was perfectly appropriate, no language, etc. but they just deleted it. Guess they didn’t like being critized for poor reporting. I’ll bet they turn off the comments feature soon.
Comment by Becky — March 27, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Looks like they may have turned comments off.. I can’t comment, or see anyone else’s comments.
Comment by Andrea — March 27, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
Thanks Becky - I totally missed the comment area. No longer. ;-)
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
Here is a link to a news report I just saw regarding NY doing more pet food testing.
Would still like to know if more pet food is involved than what they have said.
Debbie J
http://home.bellsouth.net/s/ed.....#038;ch=ne
Comment by D Jackson — March 27, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Pet deaths likely to rise: Menu Foods
Mar 27, 2007 05:52 PM
Canadian Press
Menu Foods spokesman Sam Bornstein wouldn’t comment on those numbers, but acknowledged today that the final number of deaths is likely to rise.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/196573
Comment by Steve — March 27, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
I don’t know if this is duplicate information -
IAMS Corporation is reimbursing folks for their vet bills, even if your pet never got sick. After reading the advice from the AVMA last evening about having three tests done even if you cat doesn’t show signs, I decided to bring my three back tonite to have the blood work (they had a chem panel done last week) and urinalysis. My cats outweigh the related costs but I thought this was ridiculous that folks were being advised by the AMVA to take these step yet were not being compensated for the expense.
I contacted Menu Foods, which I might add I was not impressed with. They told me that IAMS is handling all calls regarding their products, including financial. I did get through to IAMS and was connected to a ‘specialist’ - the main customer service people are not helpful so ask to be transferred to a specialist.
This man informed me that IAMS is in fact taking full responsibility for all vet bills, rather than having Menu do it. They will cover all bills for your visit and tests, no questions asked. You do not need to have the food cans or store receipts, or the lot numbers, etc. He admitted that they have no choice but to trust that folks will only send in claims if they use IAMS.
I do not know if my cats ate these lot numbers and IAMS understands that no one can possibly know that, but they are also adhering to the fact that illness shows up pretty quick after ingesting. They are willing to pay for peace of mind for their customers, even if they no longer use their product. So, if you have incurred vet bills, even if they were just precautionary tests, please contact IAMS at the 800#, provide them with your pets names and ages, what food you were using, the name of your vet (they have a database). They will contact you with a SR#, and then you or your vet can send them your bills along with the test results. IAMS plans to bring in more vets to review all results and contact folks if they have any concerns about the test results. At this time it is taking about 2-3 weeks to process this paperwork.
I plan to take advantage of this even though the cost wasn’t my main concern. There are a lot of folks who cannot afford the bills but should have tests run as a precaution. Please, if you used IAMS and are not sure about your pets, take them to the vet and let IAMS cover the cost.
I have totally switched over to another food and will probably never go back to IAMS, but I do give them a little credit for stepping up to the plate and taking financial responsibility for their product, which is more than Menu has agreed to do.
Comment by Carole — March 27, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
Well, suddenly finding safe food has become a challenge. Yesterday, I went and got Pet Promise to try, http://www.petpromiseinc.com/ Until something bad is discovered about them, it seems a pretty safe bet. The good thing is, it’s pretty plentiful and their site has a store locator. Most of all, my kitties will eat it. I think a permanant food change to a safer and respectable company is long overdue.
Gary
Comment by Gary — March 27, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
Gary - I gave my cats a couple of cans of Pet Promise. I agree with you that it seems safe. Wild Oats carries it here. My cats like it. I’ve given it to them before.
And I sit here and watch them eat it praying it IS safe. And I avoid going to the store to buy more just in case…
When are we going to know something more about what the poison was on???????
(sorry, in need of some serious venting…)
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
The comment thing is back up….they must be having technical issues. If you go all the way down to the end of the story, below the ads, there is a comment section. You can click on the comments to read (only 5 so far) or post your own. And mine reappeared….weird!
Comment by Becky — March 27, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
I too called FDA after many days of trying. I wanted to let themk now that my cat had passed due to eating the recalled food. I encourage everyone who is affected by this to call your local FDA complaint person. It may take time, but this is the only way that they can get accurate numbers and one of the many ways to make a differece. I ddid not think to call Iams but was encouraged to do so. I did contact them and talked to a “specialist” and am waiting to hear back for a case mumber.
One of the questions they ask is would you want vouchers. I told them no. Since my cat’s illness I have switiched over to a human grade food called Flint River Ranch that was recommended by my vet.
I so want my vet bills paid by Iams, however my primary reason to call them is to let them know how dissapointed I am and that they should take more responsibility for those pets who depend on us for their basic needs. If this changes, then my Basti has not died in vain.
Comment by LFrahm — March 27, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
We lost our dear little daschund to tainted Nutro brand food in the foil pouch. Within two days of eating the food she was sick and by the 13th of march, our vet advised us that her kidneys had shut down and she would not recover.
Comment by Tim McClure — March 27, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
I find thta the press is slapping us in the face with there 16 animals I alone have lost 2 and have 3 sick and have been told to have my other 2 tested because no one not even the vets know what a non lethal dose will do and how long it take s for any signs to show up or what the long term damage will be to our pets.
All the signs that we are hearing about maybe from the most toxic dose that our animals got but a milder dose may have different signs of illness.So by advising 3 test they can track the damage done and or if the animal is slowly getting sick.
Comment by Susan Bryant — March 27, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
I had to euthanize my kitty, Dylan, on 02/23/2007, Acute renal failure. Why? Not because we neglected Dylan. We kept him inside, never let him out. We took him for vet checkups. We did everything to protect him. We loved him! We wanted him safe. We gave him Special Kitty pouch-tainted food as a treat. He trusted us and we in turn trusted pet food companies, never thought ever something like this would occur in these United States. Boy, were we wrong! Now, this is a hush-hush story. It may be hush-hush in the newspapers and TV, but just scan the various websites and you will see, we as pet moms and dads (yes, moms and dads, not owners)will not give up our cause. We will succeed in regulating the pet food companies and being compensated for our monetary losses. No amount of money can replace our beloved kids. You know: Cats and Dogs: PRICELESS! BTW: What is it now aprox 2000 animals poisoned!
Comment by Gloria — March 27, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
We lost our beloved Nusche to acute renal failure on Tuesday, March 13th, on Saturday the 17th, the first story broke on MSNBC about tainted food and lo and behold we had both IAMS and Special Kitty. It finally made sense why our cat died! Although he was almost 18, he was in perfect health. He got sick so quick! It started on the weekend and by Monday first thing at the vets, we knew it was bad. Later in the day our vet called and told us that there was no hope for him and on Tuesday, we had to put down our treasured friend and companion, the delight of our hearts. Why? This makes no sense to me and I want to get to the truth of this poisoning. How long has it been going on and why didn’t they inform us? We fed our cat the best brands and never imagined we would lose him to a tainted food supply. I want to be compensated for my vet bills as well and I appreciate all of the info I read from several of you. I’m sorry for everyone’s heartbreaking loss of their darlings.
Comment by debbie groff — March 27, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
What is going on here! I lost “Angel” a pure breed neuteured abysinnian male pet only 2-1/2 years old. Indoor only kitty. He got sick mid December and was dead in 3 weeks from kidney failure. The food he ate was from the menu foods list. I read a VERY DISTURBING PRESS RELEASE from menu foods dated March 16, 2007 that was titled “… Precautionary Dog and Cat Food Recall” and included the notation” NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES” This seems very strange to me. Any thoughts?
Comment by Mike — March 27, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
And Hills steps up….
http://www.hillspet.com/menu_f....._en_US.htm
Recalls the rest of their menu-made food. Only 4 more flavors, but it’s still great…
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Okay, it looks like it’s not additional flavors, just additional UPC codes. very odd, if that’s the case this means nothing.
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 10:24 pm
Okay, again. They’ve added the 3 oz cans of all flavors to their withdrawal list. The initial list only had 1 3oz can listed. Sorry for the multiple posts, it was hard to tell the way they set it up. (Which is why I’m working on my own summary list of products recalled, almost done)
Comment by Kim — March 27, 2007 @ 10:28 pm
I lost my great little 7 year old Pappillon on March 9th due to renal failure. He was afflicted by the tainted food in the Mighty Dog foil pouches. He was a picky eater and that was the only thing he liked…His food was on their recall list. He started getting sick mid feb.—started not eating, drinking lots of water and started vomiting…On Feb. 26th, he was really sick and went right to the vet and was on fluids and had testing—he stayed there for 4 days and came home-he was beginning to feel better and we were feeding him ‘homemade’ foods. On the 9th, I offered him some of his mighty dog and he went downhill within hours. I knew it was his last day. The purina people have called. I was at work and will talk to them tomorrow. To all who have lost thier sweet little frieinds, I am so sorry….he was so funny. I miss him.
Comment by rusty's mom — March 28, 2007 @ 12:02 am
Can Menu provide accurate records for recalled products & the bb date, PC, & such when they are not even accountable for the product they produced. I know the Nutro NC Ocean Fish pouches I feed poisoned 2 of my 11 kitties, without a doubt. They are the only 2 that exclusively ate the pouches, that was until last week of 1/07. When both were in renal failure within a day of one another. ALL was reported to Nutro & 2 pouches were mailed with vet dx 1st week of 2/07. Menu Foods had the PC code on the recall list, but a different bb date. They had the bb date of the pouches I have but a different PC code. PLEASE don’t trust the list by Menu Foods. I believe it to be VERY incomplete & have reported that to Nutro immediately 3/19. And it seems Nutro is not trusting Menu on the pc #’s & bb dates, obviously they know different by the recall of all their wet foods per their website. There is no monitoring or auditing of Menu’s products, let alone their procedures,by any authority. So how accurate can their record keeping be??? I think there is much more to come. Unfortunately :(
Comment by Teresa — March 28, 2007 @ 12:07 am
i am so sorry for you loss of your little kitties. My little dog died also of kidney failure on march 9th.
Comment by rusty's mom — March 28, 2007 @ 12:13 am
Why is it that Menu Foods has not donated some of their millions to help some of these pets? They could be helping instead of hiding. Does anyone one know who is trying to cover this up? Is it Menu Foods, the FDA?
Comment by sue — March 28, 2007 @ 7:29 am
Hey - where’d the AP go?
No article at all that I can find today…
Comment by Kim — March 28, 2007 @ 5:44 pm