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4/9/07 - PET FOOD RECALL UPDATE

The list of pet food products containing contaminated wheat gluten supplied by the same Chinese company as the previously recalled Menu Foods products became even longer this week.

Del Monte pet treats and canned food products as well as dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills and marketed under several well known brands including “Old Roy” have been recalled because they may contain the melamine tainted gluten.

A current list of all recalled pet food products can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html#recall

A list of the affected Sunshine Mills dog biscuits can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/sunshinemills04_07.html

Now for the good news!

At the present time, we believe the health risk posed by ingestion of dry pet food products, and wet foods other than the originally recalled “cuts and gravy” products, appears to be minimal to non-existent!

This is because while there should not be a plastic precursor chemical in your pet’s food, the toxic effects of melamine, though not fully known, do not appear to include the kidney damage seen in the current food related poisonings.

Unfortunately, the actual cause for the kidney damage seen in affected pets at present remains unknown at this time!

While it is obviously a good idea to stop feeding any of the recalled products, there have yet to be any injury reported as a result of feeding melamine tainted food on the most recently recalled list.

We hope and believe that the worst of this is over, and that like the many human food recalls/contaminations that occur, this episode too will fade away. Hopefully, there will be some additional scrutiny of pet food ingredients by manufacturers and/or the FDA as we all try to learn from this episode. Certainly, the communication framework between pet food companies, veterinarians, the FDA, and the public has been reestablished and strengthened so that future threats to our pet population can be handled in a more timely and efficient manor.

In the wake of this episode, it is tempting to condemn the entire pet food industry as unsafe, and seek alternate ways to feed our pets. We feel that this is a mistake and that the vast majority of formulas on the market still represent the safest and best nutrition for your pets’ health.

Years of research and testing have gone into the nutritional makeup of established brands. It is well known that a large part of the increased longevity we now enjoy with our pets is a direct result of the nutritional improvements made in commercial diets over the last 30 years.

WE URGE OUR CLIENTS TO CONTINUE FEEDING COMMERCIAL FORMULAS NOT ON THE RECALL LISTS AND TO AVOID HOME COOKED AND RAW DIETS NOW BEING MARKETED AS ALTERNATIVES TO COMMERCIAL DIETS.

In general, the health risks of feeding home cooked and raw diets, which are listed below, exceed the benefits:

1) Obesity is much more common in pets fed human food diets.
2) Lack of nutritional balancing is common in home cooked diets. It is very difficult to recreate the nutritional profile of commercial diets at home. This can result in bone weakness, vitamin deficiencies and other health problems.
3) Lack of adequate dental abrasion in home cooked diets increases the incidence of dental disease.
4) Contamination of raw diets by disease causing bacteria is common. These bacteria including E.Coli and Salmonella frequently result in gastrointestinal problems and in some cases represent human health risks as well.

If you decide you still would prefer to feed your pet a home cooked diet, we strongly recommend you use a recipe formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. Many diets now being marketed by individuals seeking to capitalize on the current crisis are improperly balanced.

If you would like a nutritionally balanced home cooked diet for your pet, contact our front desk. We have made copies of several healthy alternative diets available for you at no charge. You can also pick your own diet or have your current formula reviewed by a veterinary nutritionist for a small fee at the web site www.balanceit.com .

In summary, we hope that this is the final update we will need to send regarding this subject. We will of course continue to keep you posted on significant developments such as the identification of the toxin. As always, we appreciate your patience and share your concern for the well being of your pets.

Ted A. Diamond, DVM
And the entire staff of Valley Veterinary Hospital/Inn for Pets
 

4/2/07 - PET FOOD RECALL UPDATE

We are writing to make all Valley Veterinary Hospital clients aware of several new developments in the current pet food recall crisis.

1)    There is now uncertainty regarding the actual poison causing the problem. As of Friday 3/30/07 the FDA announced that they have been unable to confirm the presence of the rat poison aminopterin previously detected by the Cornell Toxicology laboratory. (http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html)  Instead, they have detected a chemical named melamine in the recalled Menu foods (www.menufoods.com). The toxic effects of melamine in pets are not certain and therefore the link between the melamine and the affected pets is not clear. In fact, melamine is known to be a breakdown product of approved commercial disinfectants, and may end up being completely unrelated to the current crisis.

2)    Purina announced on Saturday 3/31/07 that one of their canned dog foods, Alpo® Brand Prime Cuts in Gravy shared the same supplier for wheat gluten as the recalled Menu Foods products. This food has been recalled and should not be fed to any pets.  If your pet was eating this particular canned food recently, you should contact our office to schedule kidney function testing immediately. Please see the Purina web site for further details www.purina.com.

3)  Hills Pet Nutrition announced late on Friday afternoon 3/30/07 that one of their prescription dry cat foods, Hills M/D, contained wheat gluten that came from the same source as the recalled Menu foods products. (www.hillspet.com) Hills has recalled M/D dry cat food, and all of our clients who have purchased this food in the last 3 months have been notified.  At this time, there have been no reports of illness attributed directly to ingestion of M/D and there are no other Hills diets that contain wheat gluten. As far as we know, at this point other brands of dry foods are not at risk.

4)  Reimbursement for veterinary costs incurred for screening healthy pets, as well as treatment of any food associated illness has been made available by

    Menu Foods, as well as directly from Iams. You should contact these companies to request payment for any expenses you incur as a result of their recalls.

In conclusion, it seems prudent at this time to avoid dry or canned foods that contain wheat gluten, since the actual toxin and source are not really known yet!!  However, only pets known to have been eating those foods on the current recall list (that share the source of tainted Chinese wheat gluten) need to be evaluated for kidney damage.

Assuming your pet’s food is free from wheat gluten, there appears to be little risk of any toxicity at this time. However, until the actual agents involved are identified, we cannot know with 100% certainty what foods to avoid!

Obviously, this crisis brings to light the need for better regulation and testing in the pet food industry. We share your frustration and concern for your pet’s safety. Unfortunately, veterinarians are not being informed by the pet food companies about any of these developments until after public announcements have been made. This puts us in the difficult position of trying to answer your questions regarding food safety with little more information than you have.

We are staying in touch with veterinarians nationwide through our online network VIN, and are participating in the nationwide survey to determine the number of affected pets. We now know of approximately 15 pets that have become ill as a result of tainted food in our practice alone!

We continue to  recommend that any pets that have eaten any recalled product be tested at our office.

We will continue to update you via email of future developments and feeding recommendations as they become available. Thank you for your continued patience as we deal with this crisis the best that we can.
 

MENU FOODS RECALL UPDATE: 3/26/07

On Friday afternoon 3/23/07, an announcement was made that the toxin believed to be responsible for the current pet food poisonings has been discovered in samples of the canned Menu foods product.

The rat poison aminopteride was identified at toxic levels in several cans tested at the Cornell University toxicology lab. This poison is not legal in the United States and the route of introduction into the food is not yet known. This poison does cause damage to the kidneys consistent with the signs being reported by veterinarians and owners countrywide.

The poison may be in a large number of cuts and gravy type canned foods and therefore all of the potentially affected foods are included on the recall list. The complete list of recalled canned brands can be found at www.menufoods.com/recall. The fact that a particular food is on this list does not necessarily mean that this food is contaminated.

If your animal has been eating one of the recalled foods we recommend that you stop feeding this food immediately and call our office to make an appointment to have your pet screened for kidney problems. This requires a blood and possible urine sample. Since many pets may not show signs of kidney damage early on, you should screen your pet even if your pet is not currently showing symptoms. You should definitely have your pet checked you notice any of the following: weight loss,  lethargy, drinking excessively, urinating excessively, vomiting, and/or poor appetite.

MENU FOODS HAS AGREED TO REIMBURSE PET OWNERS FOR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ILLNESS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE TAINTED PET FOOD

YOU SHOULD SAVE ALL YOUR RECEIPTS AND CALL:

Pet Food Recall Hotline 1-866-895-2708

Menu foods does not manufacture dry food of any kind and therefore these foods are still considered to be safe and free from any involvement.

We will continue to keep you informed on a weekly basis until all information regarding this crisis is known. We thank you for your patience as we struggle to answer your questions with what little information we have!
 

03-19-2007: URGENT INFORMATION REGARDING PET FOOD RECALL

The following information pertains to the recent recall of canned pet foods that have been associated with kidney damage and resulting death in a number of pets:

Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of dog and cat foods in North America, announced a recall of 60 million containers of canned food or food in pouches sold between December 3 and March 6. Menu Foods manufactures pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. Kroger, Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Petsmart store brands are involved in the recall. Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, and some Purina brands are participating in a voluntary recall as well.

Although the full extent of this problem and the causative toxin involved is not known at this time, we at Valley Veterinary Hospital are very concerned about this problem because we suspect this food toxicity has been the source of kidney failure in at least 5 of our patients in the last 3 weeks.

If your animal has been eating one of the recalled foods we recommend that you stop feeding this food immediately and call our office to make an appointment to have your pet screened for kidney problems. This requires a blood and possible urine sample. You should screen your pet even if your pet is not currently showing symptoms. You should definitely have your pet checked if your pet is showing any of the following symptoms: lethargy, drinking excessively, urinating excessively, vomiting, and/or not eating.

See www.menufoods.com/recall for more information as well as a specific list of dog and cat foods recalled (with production dates). Again, only canned foods have been recalled.  See information below as Hill's Science Diet and Purina Mighty Dog Pouches are part of the voluntary recall and may not be on the menu foods list.

See the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01590.html for more news on the pet food recall.

Pet food Recall Hotline Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

From Hill's Pet Nutrition website:   http://www.hillspet.com

The list of Hill's Science Diet food being recalled can be found at http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_en_US.html. These products and the statement from Hill's Science Diet are listed below:

In response to the recent Menu Foods, Inc. nationwide recall of wet pet foods, Hill's® Pet Nutrition, Inc. has announced a voluntary precautionary recall in the United States and Canada of a very small number of canned cat products that are co-manufactured by Menu. Hill's is voluntarily recalling the following products:

1. Science Diet® Kitten Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 3 oz. and 5.5 oz.
2. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Beef 5.5 oz.
3. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.
4. Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 5.5 oz.
5. Science Diet® Feline Senior Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.

No other Hill's products are affected by this recall.
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., is taking this precautionary step to protect the health and well being of your pets. Hill's has received no reported cases of illness. Consumers of other pet food brands manufactured by Menu Foods have reported a small number of cases of cats becoming ill with loss of appetite, vomiting, and lethargy which are potential signs of kidney failure.

This voluntary product recall involves discontinuation of all retail sales and product retrieval from consumers. Consumers should stop using the affected products immediately. Consult with a veterinarian if any symptoms are present in your pet. All Science Diet products carry a 100 percent guarantee, and consumers can receive a refund for recalled products

Hill's is recalling the following product codes. Product codes can be found at the bottom of the can. Only relevant code numbers have been listed (X's indicate irrelevant numbers).

Eukanuba and Iams Product information: http://us.eukanuba.com , http://us.iams.com

Information concerning Iams and Eukanuba cat and dog foods recalled can be found at http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/data_root/html/product_article/ProductRecallList.htm

General information concerning the recall and Iams can be found at http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=PCA&articleID=300003

General information concerning the recall and Eukanuba can be found at http://us.eukanuba.com/eukanuba/en_US/jsp/Euk_Page.jsp;jsessionid=BHT05K34HETKPQFIAJ2JY2WAVABHNHE0?pageID=MC&newsArticleID=22&intcmp=HM_PRR

Purina/Mighty Dog Information
Purina Mighty Dog 5.3 ounce pouch products are being withdrawn by Nestlé Purina.  For more information see http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/purina03_07.html.