Comments on: Pet Food Recall Has Owners Worried

Menu Foods Produces "Cuts And Gravy" For More Than 40 Brands; Pets Suffer Kidney Failure

[will_powers]

I called the FDA in my state yesterday to lodge complaint concerning my sick cat, I was told the numbers of calls they are receiving is staggering. The 10 animals that died were the companies test animals. The number of animal deaths has to be in hundreds if not thousands. Why is the press mis-reporting this event to the public? A statement by Menu Foods might be the decent thing to do at this point or a new revised statement by the FDA would clarify this tradegy.

[gdeese1]

This tragedy is not new. My Golden Retriever just died in October, starved to death because we fed her tainted dog food unknowingly. She started dropping weight, and died within one month. I fed her canned dog food with her dry to enhance the flavor, thinking it would help. How do we report these tragedies?

[wildpinky-2009]

my son's cat, papi, died suddenly on march 9. he was only 3 years old. he was eating one of the brands that is recalled. i went out and came home and found him dead in the litter box.

[numbsie5]

Ok People, Listen Up!
I wrote a comment yesterday the 20th about my (2) cats that had died from this food. As I read over the many others, I see that this is worse than I could have even thought. We need to all jump on the band wagon and press along with the lady that is sewing Menue Foods. They need to be put out of business so that they may never do this again! If we all go after them, they will fold! Yes people will lose there jobs, However if they worked there, they had to know something and did nothing about it. Go get another job or they should also join us with lost pets and run Menue Foods right into the ground. Come on my fellow Americans, we are stronger by numbers than just a few. Join me. Start by contacting your FDA. web address fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
Menue Foods Consumer Hot Line # 1-866-895-2708
My two best friends Tigger and Lucky are waiting for me and all of us to fight back. My heart goes out to each and everyone of you that have lost your beloved pet. Don't let this just get swept under the rug. We all have rights even though some may just look at them as simple pets. Fight for them and with me! God Bless the pets that have been taken from us by the hands of Menue Foods.

[burning-up]

I am FURIOUS! I own 2 Dogs and love them with everything I have. I don't but the recalled brands of pet food but my heart fells like it's breaking my Heart just thinking these things happening to our innocent "Best Friends". My Heart goes out to everyone who this has affected. Even as I write this I'm breaking down because most of us love out pets like there are Children. They Love unconditionally. I hope we can get to the bottom of this and make who's ever responsible take responsibility for this Action and Non-Action that they have and have not taken.

[ddezignz]

i lost my golden retriever last august to renal failure. i had been feeding her nutro ultra for several months, twice a day. i was going to donate her food to the humane society but couldn't bring myself to deal with it.

tonight i looked at the can and checked nutro's website. i cannot begin to express how i feel finding i poisoned my best friend. i cannot imagine how many animals have died since then by well meaning pet owners only wanting the best for their friends.

it rips my heart out to think of all the pain and suffering this has caused with the beloved lives that have been lost and those having to watch their loved ones die.

there has to be some accountability for this madness. for many of us, our pets are as precious as human lives. when will manufacturers of foodstuffs take more interest in the safety of their products than to profits? when will companies actually check products they slap their names on before they provide them to the public?

i hope this is a big wake up call to all companies.

[ron76053]

My heart and prayers go out to every one that has lost a pet or is trying to save one. I had to put my beautiful 11 year old Siamese, Crazy, to sleep on Feb. 18th. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. She suffered from kidney failure and, of course, suffered all of the usual symptoms. I felt, and still feel, guilty over her death. I switched her to Special Kitty on November 6th and probably started feeding her the poison food in mid-December.
My biggest concern now is that, although stores have pulled the poisoned food off the shelf, there seems to be no warning or notice of the recall in the stores. My cat ate 3 packages of food a day and I usually bought 72-96 packages of food at a time. As I type, I have about 40 packages of poisoned food on my pet food shelf. As I said, Crazy died on Feb 18th and I adopted another rescue kitty on March 3rd. Had I fed her any of this poison, she too would be dead. Please contact your local stores, news media and anybody with pets to warn them. Not everybody reads the paper or watches the news!
thanks...
BigRon

[sissybugfl]

I am the owner of two 4 year old cats. They have been in our family since birth. They are the responsibility of our 10 year old daughter and she has grown up with them. This morning at 6AM we awoke to find our female cat dead. She had not been eating well the last week, but we didn't think much of it. Simply because they can be a little picky from time to time. She was ok, we thought, at 11:30 last night. We had had just heard about the recall and I had been feeding my cats Special Kitty Pouch and canned food for a few weeks. Not knowing much about the recall and trying to be safe, we threw out all of the special kitty food and went and purchased several cans of the sliced and chunked and shredded varieties with gravy from Ingles (laura lynn brand). She did not eat any, but the male did. After finding our sweet little kitty dead this morning, I rushed her brother to the vet. He was tested and $304 later was determined to be okay. After speaking with the vet about my female and the position of the cat when she died and her behavior in the last week or two, they determined that she more then likely died of a seizure induced heart attack as a result of renal failure. But without an autopsy could not be positive. Menu foods needs to set up a fund to reimburse petowners for related expenses. My heart goes out to all of the famalies affected by the loss of a pet, especially if it is due to the eating of food that you trust

[ljburch-2009]

I have a six month old boxer, Zeke. I feed him a raw / natural diet of vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese, eggs and small amounts of raw or blanched meat, no cooked or processed foods - the diet dogs eat in the wild. When I go out of town on business, my husband provides pouches of cuts in gravy to the sitter for Zeke's lunch. During those days he had issues with piddling all over the house. My sitter thought he had a bladder infection because he appeared to have no control. I thought it was house-breaking relapses caused by the change in routine or separation anxiety, but having found pouches with effected lot numbers in my cupboard, I now know better. My vet did a complete blood and urine analysis and while there is some concern, he is going to be okay. We are lucky, perhaps because he is young and strong or because it was only a small portion of his diet. This reinforces my conviction that the raw diet is the healthy choice. Many people question this, especially the raw meat, but when a wild dog catches a rabbit he doesn't cook it before eating. When I prepare meals with fresh foods, the same foods I'm eating, I know my dog isn't being poisoned by some faceless company.

[werdbj]

Eventhough my beloved pet is gone I need explanations and help to pay a large vet bill. My home is not the same and I miss him so very much! It feels like a horrible nightmare.

[vecapereca]

Zebras5544,

You are asking about feeding homefood...I feed my dog only what I prepare, and people would be surprised that it costs less than expensive brand dog and cat food. My cat grew up eating commercial and would not switch, but after this I'll try again. Here's how it goes: you can buy meat on sale, day before expiration and freeze it for at least 7 days (this way you kill any bacteria that might be in it). I feed my dog raw and also cook food for him. It takes 1-2 hours for the whole week.You'll be shocked at change in health of their hair, smaller and less smelly stools, etc. You can mix rice, cooked carrots, broccoli, zuccini, yams (NEVER use onions, grapes), and cooked meat you buy. Sometimes different pets/breeds do better with different things. For example, my dog doesn't digest brown rice well (you can see it in the stool so you know its not being digested properly), so I use yams or pasta instead. You can use ration 2:1, less meat more veggies. If you feed a cup a day, do the same here. If its a puppy, get a steamed bone meal and add to food, it gives extra calcium. If you need specific recipes, I can provide that as well-email me: [e-mail] Good luck!

[vecapereca]

Zebras5544,

You are asking about feeding homefood...I feed my dog only what I prepare, and people would be surprised that it costs less than expensive brand dog and cat food. My cat grew up eating commercial and would not switch, but after this I'll try again. Here's how it goes: you can buy meat on sale, day before expiration and freeze it for at least 7 days (this way you kill any bacteria that might be in it). I feed my dog raw and also cook food for him. It takes 1-2 hours for the whole week.You'll be shocked at change in health of their hair, smaller and less smelly stools, etc. You can mix rice, cooked carrots, broccoli, zuccini, yams (NEVER use onions, grapes), and cooked meat you buy. Sometimes different pets/breeds do better with different things. For example, my dog doesn't digest brown rice well (you can see it in the stool so you know its not being digested properly), so I use yams or pasta instead. You can use ration 2:1, less meat more veggies. If you feed a cup a day, do the same here. If its a puppy, get a steamed bone meal and add to food, it gives extra calcium. If you need specific recipes, I can provide that as well-email me: [e-mail] Good luck!

[christie001-2009]

For the folks that have mentioned that their dogs have been drinking a lot of water and urinating excessively, you should take them to the vet, if you have not already done so. Those are the only symptoms that I noticed with my dog. He was still energetic with no loss of appetite. I took him to the vet because I thought that maybe he had a bladder infection or something. He was actually suffering from kidney failure. After five days of IV therapy in the hospital, we think he is going to be okay. He's been back home for three weeks and goes for a follow-up visit next Monday. His main food was Nutro Natural Choice and the UPC codes matched the recalled ones.

[jackasspiper]

for the person who said to feed ur dog fresh foods, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! in the wild dogs would not be eating the processed foods that the fda didnt approve for human consumption.(dog food) they'd be eating fresh meat. so absolutely the best diet for your dog is prepared fresh foods. nothing processed, veggies and red meats.

[dallasmsl]

About three months ago, I asked my vet if it was okay to feed my dogs table scraps. Her initial answer was "no" until I told her about my diet which only included fresh vegatebles (sometimes even frozen), meats, rice, and sometimes pasta. I also asked her about oatmeal. When she learned about my diet which did not include very many, if any, processed foods, she did an about face and approved my diet for my dogs. Now I'm glad. I still buy them dry dog food but haven't bought any canned/wet dog food in months. I still have a can of "gravy/cuts" in my shelf - guess I'll just throw it in the trash.

[seascapereso]

i have an 8 year old german shepherd that became violently ill after eating a small can of mighty dog......she bagAn vomitting, had chronic diaharia, very weak, and finally went and crawled into my bathtub, there was no time to get her to a vet, she was so ill, i thank god i remember "GATORADE" I KEPT POURING GATORADE IN HER MOUTH, EVEN THOUGH MOST OF IT WAS COMING BACK UP, SOME MANAGED TO KEEP HER FROM DEHYDRATING THRUOUT HER SICKNESS, IT LASTED FROM 8AM UNTIL 5PM......NON STOP..., MY SHEPHERD SURVIVED, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE HAD POSSIBLY GOTTEN IN TOO, NOW I KNOW........
JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT, GATORADE SAVED
MY DOG.......HERE IN FLORIDA WHEN THE POWER IS OUT, DURING OR AFTER A HURRICANE, THE ANIMALS TEND TO GET DEHYDRATED AND WE GIVE THEM GATORADE
PLEASE PASS THIS INFO ON.........

[robby1900]

I have a minature schnauzer who is blind because of mighty dog. She all of a sudden has been drinking a lot,and urinating a lot. Also, she has lost weight and is very lethargic. I have seen several vets and have been told at first it was kidney disease, and now they think it is diabetes. Is it the food??? Is there a class action lawsuit to compensate me for my pet bills and my pet's loss of vision?

[robby1900]

I have a minature schnauzer who is blind because of mighty dog. She all of a sudden has been drinking a lot,and urinating a lot. Also, she has lost weight and is very lethargic. I have seen several vets and have been told at first it was kidney disease, and now they think it is diabetes. Is it the food??? Is there a class action lawsuit to compensate me for my pet bills and my pet's loss of vision?

[pat298b]

I find this very disturbing on many levels. I myself have a AKC Boston Terrier and 2 cats, who are like family members. It makes me wonder how this could have gone so long unreported. It also makes me ask the question "Do humans have any of these same ingredients in our food?" And if so are we also being keept in the dark? I fell horible for all the pet owners who have to undergo this tradity. And the really sad thing is we have to wait to see if this affects our pets. My boston has been really lathargic the last 2 days and my brothers Boston has been drinking water and urinating like crazy. Is this company prepared to pay all the vet bills incured by the public? They can not replace the beloved pets that they have killed. Is this an indication of what would happen if humans were involved?

[pat298b]

I find this very disturbing on many levels. I myself have a AKC Boston Terrier and 2 cats, who are like family members. It makes me wonder how this could have gone so long unreported. It also makes me ask the question "Do humans have any of these same ingredients in our food?" And if so are we also being keept in the dark? I fell horible for all the pet owners who have to undergo this tradity. And the really sad thing is we have to wait to see if this affects our pets. My boston has been really lathargic the last 2 days and my brothers Boston has been drinking water and urinating like crazy. Is this company prepared to pay all the vet bills incured by the public? They can not replace the beloved pets that they have killed. Is this an indication of what would happen if humans were involved?