Recalled: Thiamine deficiency in some of Diamond’s Premium Edge cat foods causing serious illness
By Christie Keith
October 2, 2009
Premium Edge, a line manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods, is withdrawing (one of the words du jour that pet food companies use to avoid the word “recall”) its Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball formulas due to a dangerous thiamine deficiency in the foods.
One of my readers wrote me about this yesterday, but I couldn’t find anything about it on the company’s web site. I phoned them, but they didn’t return the call.
So I tried again today, and was directed to this new online statement:
Diamond Pet Foods has withdrawn from distribution the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat: RAF0501A22X 18lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6lb. The calls from pet owners or veterinarians regarding this issue have been centered in the Rochester, NY area. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers were also asked to contact their customers via email or telephone requesting them to check the date code of the food. However, if you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, please return them to your retailer.
Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian.
Product testing proved no contaminants were discovered in the cat food; however the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Diamond tracked the vitamin premix lot number that was utilized in these particular cat foods and have performed testing on another lot of Premium Edge cat food that used the same vitamin premix, and it was not deficient in thiamine. No other neurological signs have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.
The affected cats were quite ill, mostly with neurological symptoms. The first sign was a lack of interest in eating, followed by symptoms including muscular weakness, vomiting, lethargy,rigid posture, circling, increased respiratory rate, lack of recognition of their owners, dilated pupils, and seizures.
Fortunately the cats have responded to thiamine supplementation and hospitalization, and my reader reported that Diamond is footing the bills for treatment.
This is just one more example of companies not getting it. Don’t hope these things won’t leak out; they will. The minute a product problem is suspected, be open about it. Stop trying to call it something other than a recall when you pull your product off store shelves, and if animals are getting sick, blast it all over the PR channels, and make sure veterinarians are aware of the problem.
Otherwise, these endless small stories, buried on corporate web sites and dragged into the light of day by grieving pet owners, will turn into nothing but death by a thousand tiny cuts for the pet food industry, eroding consumer confidence and damaging companies’ reputations beyond repair.
Diamond tracked the vitamin premix lot number that was utilized in these particular cat foods and have performed testing on another lot of Premium Edge cat food that used the same vitamin premix
We already know that companies using the same manufacturing plant for production have an unfortunate tendency to “share” ingredients with one another (whether to save costs or via unintentional “cross-contamination”). I wonder if this vitamin premix has found its way into any other products made at the same site?
From http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/manufacturers.htm :
DIAMOND
Manufactures dry foods
Diamond
Wellness (not all)
Foods manufactured:
Taste of the Wild
Diamond Pet Foods
PO Box 156
Meta, MO 65058
800-442-0402
Locations: Gaston, SC; Latrop, CA; Lubbock, TX; Meta, MO; Palm Coast, FL
Foods manufactured:
Artemis
Canidae
Kirkland Signature Brand Pet Food
Natural Balance
Solid Gold Health Food for Pets
Comment by The OTHER Pat — October 2, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
Personally, I’d love nothing better for ‘commercial’ pet food companies like Mars, Diamond, Purina and the rest of the Pet Food Industry to loose a huge portion of market share and die a long, slow lingering death from dropping stock prices because customers and investors no longer trust them. It would be a fitting demise after the Pet Food Debacle of 2007 and a deserved memorial to all the thousands of dogs and cats who suffered and perished from melamine poisoning.
It’ll never ever happen, but one can dream.
Comment by Anne T — October 2, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
Personally, I’d love nothing better for ‘commercial’ pet food companies … and the rest of the Pet Food Industry to loose a huge portion of market share and die a long, slow lingering death ….
Not me. I’d like them to get their acts together, behave responsibly, take control of production, and produce honest, trustable, nutritious food. But then, I’m fond of fairy tales too.
Comment by Eucritta — October 2, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
I will feed that food to my pet unicorn, Eucritta.
Comment by Christie Keith — October 2, 2009 @ 5:50 pm
Even pet food needs a unicorn chaser.
Comment by Eucritta — October 2, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
Ugh, not another food recall. :-(
I really appreciate your diligence in posting pet food/treat recall news. (Thank you)
Comment by karen — October 2, 2009 @ 6:25 pm
Thanks, Christie and The OTHER Pat. I so appreciate being informed of any pet food products that are injurious to a pet’s health!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — October 2, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
Seems like alot of illness from just low thiamine…I wonder how long these kitties were eating it or if it was the only thing they ate…Ever since 2007 I give all different foods “just in case”….but until something changes with our food producers I am afraid it is like looking for a safe seat on the Titanic (not my words but another’s whose cat passed in 2007 as well)
Comment by Carol V — October 3, 2009 @ 6:09 am
Am I the only one who finds this explanation suspicious?
Pray tell: how could ONE RUN of taurine-deficient pf cause cats to react immediately? I’d think it would take some time. However, I’d be more apt to believe that a serious overdose on some other vitamin in one run would produce symptoms in these poor little kitties almost immediately. Maybe I’m missing something here but I find symptoms showing up that fast from feeding a few meals of a food that’s deficient in any vitamin a bit hard to swallow……oh, that was bad…….:-)
Doesn’t help that I don’t trust any pfc or anything that they say. And, while we’re on the subject, let’s get rid of the voluntary withdrawal BS & call it what it is: a recall!
Is my anger showing?
Comment by Hannie — October 3, 2009 @ 7:54 am
Another one?! What would we do if we didnt have people reporting these recalls to pet blogs, we would never know!
The company says they are having the stores call people that bought the product but if anyone has any of the food, return it? If they dont send out a news notice about this, how do they expect people to even know they might have the food. Im sorry but these blurbs at pet food company websites arent enough. These companies make a ton of money and have the capability to get word out if they really want to, its sad to see they are more worried about their company rather than the damage it might cause the cat that might still be eating this food because the owner doesnt know there is a recall.
Also, whatever happened to that new FDA Reportable Food Registry..isnt this something that should have been reported via that or was it and FDA did nothing? I dont get it.
Comment by Sandi K — October 3, 2009 @ 8:24 am
Ive seen neuro problems in cats and its very hard to see the suffering they go thru, if owners dont know whats causing the problem, and think they cant help their cat, I dont want to think of what could happen…there is no excuse for such lousy advertising of this problem by this company.
Comment by Sandi K — October 3, 2009 @ 8:44 am
I wonder if this problem is now outside of Rochester—-just read this at twitter from a vet in NYC who is treating a very sick cat from eating the food…
http://twitter.com/VetLouiseMurray
“FYI We have a cat in ICU (in NYC) due to thiamine deficiency who eats the recalled Premium Edge food-please be alert”
about 1 hour ago from web
What I wondered when this was made public was now that vets and cat owners are hearing of this (like renal failure in 2007) maybe more affected cats will be reported elsewhere and more vets will come forward or put 2 + 2 together…Hope I am wrong on the more sick kitties side…
Comment by Carol V — October 13, 2009 @ 11:52 am
http://www.democratandchronicl...../1002/NEWS
(put a couple spaces after www. so not to get stuck in da filta! so remember to delete those spaces)
More cats outside of NY and good story to preach we need a central reporting/email alert system (need it for all foods)
Comment by Carol V — October 28, 2009 @ 8:46 am
this came out today…18 states…2 dates (or maybe 3 if I read that right) months apart…and it says that Diamond had recalled these in Sept 23rd but the first I remember seeing is on 10/1 on Twitter by someone who also posts here regularly as well as here and Susan Thixton’s site on 10/2..anybody else fuming???
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm192404.htm
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 9:08 am
The FDA press release states …
“On September 23, Diamond Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall for Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat because they have the potential to produce Thiamine Deficiency. Today’s announcement provides additional information from the company’s posted announcement of September 23 when the initial recall information was provided.”
Well, I know I had looked for it on 10/1 and it seems that Christie also looked for it as well as Susan Thixton based on her story of it on 10/2
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.c.....Page1.html
and it was not there…I wonder where FDA got the impression it was posted for petowners in Sept?
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 9:21 am
Yeah good question Carol, they had nothing at their website until 10-2 and they never put out any sort of public press release about it until today. The statement from FDA in October regarding the food problem was put out by FDA because they hadnt received a response from the company. Diamond might have started a voluntary recall in Sept….in their own minds. Kind of disgusting how the people that were most important in this equation, those with cats who were being fed that food,knew nothing about it. But yet we’re told we should trust FDA and the pet food companies. Seems to me this whole system is great for pet food companies, it allows all the secrecy a company could ever hope for..but its lousy for pet owners and pets.
Comment by Sandi K — December 1, 2009 @ 10:35 am
the AP has picked it up now…boy it sure would have been nice to see this on Sept 23rd…or even the 24th…
“Cat food recalled over thiamine deficiency
By The Associated Press (AP) – 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Diamond Pet Foods recalled select bags of dry cat food Tuesday after 21 reports of health problems in cats.
Select bags of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball could lead to gastrointestinal or neurological problems for cats, because they do not contain enough thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats.
If cats fed these foods have no other source of nutrition, they could develop thiamine deficiency. If untreated, this disorder could result in death.
Initial symptoms of thiamine deficiency include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. Later, neurological problems could develop including, bending the neck toward the floor, wobbly walking, circling, falling and seizures.
The company has confirmed 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in New York and Pennsylvania.
The recalled bags of food were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
For a full refund, consumers can return the recalled cat food to the place it was purchased. For more information call 800-977-8797.”
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 11:02 am
They picked it up because FDA did a release… even though pet owners needed this info in SEPTEMBER, not DECEMBER. FAIL.
Note: Comment was edited to correct a factual error, not because I wanted to cover my butt, but because I wanted to make sure readers had accurate info! H/t Eucritta for catching it!
Comment by Christie Keith — December 1, 2009 @ 11:03 am
This isn’t the original recall, so double-check. According to the FDA notice - which was sent out today, though dated Nov 27 - Diamond has expanded the recall to include 18 states.
Seems to me, that given the way information on recalls is often delayed and incomplete, prudent practice would be to immediately discontinue all foods, without exception, from any company issuing a recall of any nature. I’d say, until such time as notice is given that the problem has been fixed, but at this point I no longer trust any of the companies to do so.
Comment by Eucritta — December 1, 2009 @ 11:07 am
The original notice from FDA on Oct 20th says the food affected was manufactured on May 28, 2009. So it appears to me it has been expanded to include more dates.
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeter.....187218.htm
Comment by Sandi K — December 1, 2009 @ 11:27 am
http://www.premiumedgepetfood......ements/66/
Sandi K.. this shows two manufacture dates now….I think it is new info up today…sure wish they would post the date on their site…
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 11:30 am
You’re right, Eucritta… I confused the reports of ILLNESS with the dates and states where the food was/may have been distributed. I edited my commnent to reflect that, thank you!
Comment by Christie Keith — December 1, 2009 @ 11:35 am
I was trying to find documentation on what states they had said were originally affected and in the process found this at Pet Food Express, its not the same recall….its talking about off-odors now…, good grief!
http://www.petfoodexpress.com/.....tion=About
11/30/09- Premium Edge Healthy Weight Cat & Premium Edge Finicky Cat Voluntary Withdrawal
The following products have been temporarily removed from our shelves due to reports of “off odors”. Only the lot codes listed below are affected. If you have any of the affected lot codes or feel the product you have purchased has an off odor, please return the product to the store for replacement or refund. We expect to be back in stock by December 12th.
Premium Edge Healthy Weight Cat
Production Code: RHW1101
Both 18 lb. and 6 lb. sizes
Premium Edge Finicky Cat
Production Code: RAF1001
Both 18 lb. and 6 lb. sizes
Comment by Sandi K — December 1, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
Sandi K, here’s what I just found:
“Diamond Pet Foods has withdrawn from distribution the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball cat: RAF0501A22X 18lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6lb. The calls from pet owners or veterinarians regarding this issue have been centered in the Rochester, NY area. All retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves. The retailers were also asked to contact their customers via email or telephone requesting them to check the date code of the food. However, if you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, please return them to your retailer.”
This was from early October.
Comment by Eucritta — December 1, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
I just called and spoke with a rep..she said no new recall and FDA issues a press release after their investigation..but I said why are there two separate dates of manufacture now per FDA and all she knew was there “is no new recall”…I asked if it had been expanded for more states and she said it never was posted at Premium edge site what states were affected…I wish I had the original “recall” notice as I thought I remember reading that the food only went to Rochester NY cos I went crazy when I saw a vet on Twitter in NYC with a sick cat and at Therese’s site a poster named Jen in PA was trying to get her vet to believe her cat was affected…..
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
I also asked the rep why the two dates cos a rep told a blogger that the issue was isolated to a 12 minute production error on one day…she had no answer to that…
Comment by Carol V — December 1, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
Thanks Eucritta, thats what I remember, they implied it was New York only…so now its 18 states. If this isnt an expanded recall, I would like to know what its called…
On that Pet Food Express info I posted above, I noticed that the “off-odor” problem is affecting Premium Edge Healthy Weight cat food and Premium Edge Finick Cat and Pet Food Express is on the west coast. The thiamine problem affected Premium Edge Finicky cat and Premium Edge Hairball and was primarily on the east coast so this is a new and different problem than the thiamine issue.
Comment by Sandi K — December 1, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
Ack, Sandi K, you’re right - the Pet Food Express recall is entirely different.
Comment by Eucritta — December 1, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
I notice that Pet Food Express took down the statement that was there yesterday about removing some Diamond cat food due to “off-odor” problems being reported. They also put up a statement saying the Diamond recall info is not new….I have to say Im disappointed and am concerned that petowners might not realize there is new information. From what I can tell, there is an additional product code in the recall list, there had been 4 product codes originally announced but this new FDA release gives 5 product codes. There had also only been one manufacture date of 5-28-09 originally announced, now there are two listed with 8-30-09 added that wasnt there before. I thought they had also only mentioned one state (New York) before but now there are 18 states. Am I seeing things or isnt this new info?
Comment by Sandi K — December 2, 2009 @ 11:13 am
And this all begs the question of what caused this thiamine deficiency in the first place and why did it take them from May to Oct to start a recall…and then why is there some August product affected too, there is a 3 month gap between May and August so that means no product in between was affected? How does a pet food become deficient in thiamine, is it a pre-mix problem, did someone forget to add it to certain batches? Tons of questions that unfortunately we will most likely never learn the answers to.
Comment by Sandi K — December 2, 2009 @ 11:18 am
That was all new info, Sandi K. This is a very substantial expansion of the recall, and Pet Food Express’s label of it as old is incorrect. I’ve also emailed them to this effect.
Comment by Eucritta — December 2, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Right on Eucritta, so did I. By the way did anyone see this? Perhaps an opportunity to ask FDA how do we keep our pets safe & healthy when pet food companies arent required to issue public news release when they silently remove food with known problems from pet store shelves? http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeter.....192665.htm
Comment by Sandi K — December 2, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
Just got back a reply from my email to Pet Food Express: “… after substantial discussion
with the manufacturer, we believe that the substance of our message was
correct. Despite the apparent differences, there is no real change from
the original recall situation and the latest announcement does not
signal any new risk.”
Now I’m worried that the presumption here might be that none of the food covered in the expansion has reached, or will reach, any customers; that the expansion doesn’t or shouldn’t matter to us, because Diamond says we’re ‘safe.’ Argh. For cryin’ out loud, folks, we just want to *know,* and the less transparent y’all are, the more suspicious we become. Don’t *tell* us we’re safe, *show* us.
Comment by Eucritta — December 2, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
Eucritta, I got that same response from Pet Food Express…they said thanks for pointing out the discrepancies in the recall information and they were embarrassed they werent more careful but they believe the “substance” of their message is correct.
They also said they removed the off-odor post on their website because they felt it was causing confusion and inflaming the situation unncessarily in light of this other recall going on. They felt removing the off-odor post better served their customers, they said they will inform concerned clients in their store.
Guess Im not sure how customers know to be concerned if they arent told about the problem…but none of this is much different than what we normally get back in responses….they believe they are being told everything by the company, and us silly petowners just dont get it…
Comment by Sandi K — December 2, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
Yes, it’s corporate paternalism at its worst.
Comment by Eucritta — December 2, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
I guess I should say at least Pet Food Express is making an effort to post some recall info at their site, not alot of other companies are doing that…I just wish the info was more accurate and complete and not a copy of what the co is saying..and as I just finished this, they updated their site and are basically citing what the company has told them…sigh..I give up..silly pet stores …you just dont get it.
http://www.petfoodexpress.com/.....tion=About
Comment by Sandi K — December 2, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
Yes … ‘Please note that this recall was limited to the Eastern US.’ And the South, but in any case, 18 states is a lot of ground.
I’m saddened, too.
Comment by Eucritta — December 2, 2009 @ 6:12 pm