Pet-food recall: Check your cupboards
By Gina Spadafori
April 10, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page (includes links to recalled foods).
- If you’d like suggestions on what to feed, click here.
- If you want to report a sick or deceased pet, click here.
- If you want to know what you can do, please read our call to action
- If you want to read all our recall-related blog posts, click here.
Funny, but one of the very first posts here about the recall was reminding everyone to check cupboards for recalled food. And now, the ASPCA is reminding pet-owners to do the same now:
The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today issued an urgent alert to pet parents that if they have not already done so, it is imperative for them to discontinue use of the recalled foods immediately.
“More than three weeks into the pet food recall, recent intakes at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) in New York City show that some pet parents have unwittingly continued to feed their pets the contaminated, recalled foods. Just last night, we admitted a cat into our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that is in severe renal failure, and has been consuming one of the recalled product codes all this while,” said Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine at BMAH.
“This is obviously a matter of great concern to us,” continued Dr. Murray. “It is possible that this scenario is being replicated across the country, due to confusion over which brands and product codes are included in the recall—especially with the recent recall expansion—and, as a result, many more animals may be in great danger.”
Dr Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill., agrees. “It is extremely important for pet parents to stay abreast of the foods that have been recalled, especially since, while the investigation is still ongoing, there may be new developments every day.
Here’s the rest. This is such essential advice. The FDA continues to stress that the recalled food is 1 percent of all that’s out there — the overwhelming vast majority of pet-food is not affected — but that won’t mean much if your pet gets some of the recalled product. Retailers are coping as best they can, but it’s still important to check the recall list for yourself.
Yesterday in the interview with Dr. Paul Pion of the Veterinary Information Network, he told a story about finding some recalled foods in an out-of-the-way store in the months following the reformulation of cat foods after his discovery of the link between taurine defiency and a feline heart condition in the ’80s.
He couldn’t convince the person at the counter that there was a problem with the food — he knew the recall codes by heart — so he just bought it all to get it off the shelf.
Check the FDA for lists of recalled foods, and also cross-check against The Pet Food List and Pet Food Tracker. The latter two sites aren’t official, but have beaten the FDA with updates a couple of times before. Can’t hurt to check ‘em all, including the AVMA’s list.
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ANd bless Dr. Pion for that! But perhaps a reminder to keep a few complete set of lists of recalled foods in the car to drop off in out of the way places - wherever you are, take your lists!
Comment by CathyA — April 10, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Here is the following paragraph, page 8
4. Inventory Write-down. At December 31, 2005 Menu still had inventory on hand thatrelated to pre-May 20, 2003 (the date when a single case of Bovine SpongiformEncephalopathy was discovered in Alberta). Since this inventory was not saleable in theUnited States, it proved to be a challenge to sell in the normal channels available to Menu. Throughout 2005, as efforts to sell this inventory were underway, Menu made provisionsamounting to $0.9 million
http://tinyurl.com/yr9zr2
Comment by Steve — April 10, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
Menu Foods’ director Robert W. Luba, used to be the president of Safety Kleen, a hazardous and industrial waste collection company.
Check out these violations:
* Exceeding the permitted feed rate of cadmium to the incinerator
* Storing used oil fuel (VFS Distillate) from the Safety-Kleen East Chicago facility in the fuel oil tank and burning it in the incinerator when the incinerator did not meet all of the operating conditions for burning hazardous waste
* failing to record the location of each container accepted in the container storage areas, and track these wastes in real time so that their location is known at any time
* Accepting pyrophoric wastes
* Placing incompatible wastes or materials in the same container and failing to document any evaluation of the compatibility of the absorbent with the liquid
* Failing to retain the data recorded by the PI archiving system for at least three years
* Failing to maintain systems to automatically cut off hazardous waste feed to the incinerator at a pH of less than 6.2 in the second stage packed tower effluent
* Failing to retain a copy of a manifest at the facility for at least three years
* Failing to analyze the slag for methanol daily until analyses showed the treatment standards had been achieved for seven consecutive days after methanol was detected at a level above the treatment standards
* Entering the wrong generator name, address, and phone number on manifests accompanying wastes shipped by Safety-Kleen (Aragonite), Inc. for off-site treatment, storage, or disposal
http://tinyurl.com/2rjo84
Comment by Steve — April 10, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
Just try to get even the local media to respond. Chicken poops. What are they afraid of? Don’t bother answering that. Dumb butts would rather predict the next American Idol.
Comment by Kathi — April 10, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
Why haven’t the Pet Food Institute and the pet food manufacturers paid for full page newspaper ads, television and radio time to keep alerting people to the danger? They care about our pets, don’t they?
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 10, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
If only the local media would cover the story. So many people just listen to them. They still talk about 16 (or is that 14) dead and the comments are in a ‘by the way’ matter. I fault them for this as much as anyone else.
Comment by Jenny — April 10, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
My local KENS 5, WOAI & KSAT don’t udder a word. Neither does the national news — non-cable. I’ve sent them all several emails.
Comment by Kat — April 10, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
To Kat and Jenny, keep trying! I am. Like I said earlier when this whole thing got rolling, there are many reporters who are pet lovers and who really WANT to do this story. But our editors in many cases don’t believe this is what people want to hear about.
CNN made it pretty clear how wrong that attitude is this weekend, with its constant crawler of recalled foods. But for other media and non-cable news, changing their minds will likely take a steady stream of communication from readers, listeners, and viewers, talking about how big this story and asking why they’re not covering it. PLEASE keep it up.
Also - regarding the “one percent of all foods” figure, has anyone read anything about anyone asking the FDA or PFI to back up that number with hard data on sales? Because I just can’t believe that figure. If you know of anyone who’s looking at that, please pass it along. Thanks!
Comment by Laura — April 10, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
Laura - I was trying to figure that one out too. I think someone must have the decimal point in the wrong place. How on earth can 60,000 cans/pouches be 1%?? They have over 100, probably more like 125-150 brand names now?? That’s most, if not all of the major brand names.
Comment by Kat — April 10, 2007 @ 9:15 pm
I’m going to have a few of my 5 tested tomorrow morning. I’ll be back tomorrow evening with the reports. nite!
Oh, what do you all make of the other updates today on Menu that are not on the press release?
Comment by Kat — April 10, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
By-the-way, I contacted the FDA today about my 5 + gave ‘em a scolding about Nutro, dry foods making dogs/cats sick & taking so long.
She was probably glad to get rid of me…
Comment by Kat — April 10, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
April 10, 2007
ROYAL CANIN CANADA PROACTIVELY RECALLS FELINE DISSOLUTION FORMULA (canned)
Guelph, Ontario — As a result of new information received from Menu Foods late yesterday, Royal Canin Canada is recalling Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet because one production lot (January 08 2009) contains contaminated wheat gluten. This product is produced for Royal Canin Canada by the Menu Foods Ontario plant. Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet is Royal Canin’s only wheat gluten-containing canned product. This is the only Royal Canin or Medi-Cal product being recalled.
For more information
http://www.royalcanin.ca/index_en.php
Christina.
Comment by Christina — April 10, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
Please don’t just email the media about the recall, *call* the radio/TV stations and newspapers. They need to know we want them to cover it, and those of us who have lost a family member can really make an impact by calling and agreeing to be interviewed for articles or news broadcasts.
I was interviewed by a local radio station on March 26th for their news spots, and have been sending more information to the news director here and there. He has done several spots/stories on the recall now.
Comment by Pamela J. Betz-Baron — April 10, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
I am from Sault ont Canda My cat died unexpectedly andTragically on Feb 17th/07 I went to the loval newspaper /internet made fron t page.. however alot of people aren’t to aware of this.. I’ve been on this matter from Day 1 contacted menu 2ce they gave me afile #.. but I want to be in a HUGE Class Action LAW SUIT!! My Sweet angel, whose poor Body God Rest Her Soul.. Still needs to be buried . My life is forever changed and My Depression is HUGE This BS has to STOP!!! Bring them Down!! This is a huge Tragedy for All of US!!!
We need Healing ,and Compensation for our NEEDLESS LOSS!!! More Canadians Need to Speak up!!!
Comment by kelly B — April 10, 2007 @ 11:09 pm