Comments on: Pet Food Co. Knew Of Problem Last Month

In Tests Of Food After Complaints, As Many As 1 In 6 Animals Died; Cause Still A Mystery

[sfcheesehead]

I just wanted to let you all know we had to put our 4 year old Bengal cat down on Feb. 10th 2007.

He was not eating any of the recalled "wet foods".

We were feeding him Iams "dry food" and Friskies "wet food".

He was perfectly healthy and then on Feb 7th he did not want to eat anymore, the next day he started to throw up and buy the third day he was non stop crying and just drinking water. We thought at first maybe it was a hairball but by Friday night he just kept pacing and could not sleep. On the 10th we took him to his Vet and was told he had 90% kidney failure. Our Vet referred us to another animal hospital to see if there was anything else we could do for him. The hospital told us we could try dialysis at $500.00 a day but they did not think it would do anything for our poor Ben. We made the choice to put him down.

Our family loved this cat and he is missed greatly. It makes me so mad that we lost our cat that should have been with us for at least another 10 years.

We spent over $600 having test done on him to find out what was wrong with him that day. And to think it was the food we fed him that did this and all the pet food company will do is say the stores will take back the food and give us a refund!!!!!

Why are none of these companies saying anything about their dry food? I find it a little strange that my cat died of the same thing but was eating their DRY food.

[jermbugg]

I read these comments and hear a lot of anger. It is understandable, but pointless. No amount of anger or blame is going to bring our beloved pets back. What I would like to know is who is going to pay our vet bills? Not everyone has unlimited resources, and some people are going to making vet payments for a very long time. That's not fair. Is there any help out there?

[mjpark710]

will MENUFOODS PLEASE give information on DRY FOOD AS WELL??? even after i had to let my puppy go from kidney failure -- it's unfair that now i have to see my friend's dog have kidney failure as well YET he DID NOT EAT ANY WET FOODS but ONLY dry food.i don't feel that pet owners feel safe at all in feeding their pets anything when even dry food seems to be a problem and there is STILL no announcement about it.

[mjpark710]

My puppy only lived for 1 year and 4 months..and when we had to euthanize him..i didn`t understand what happened because he was doing fine until they told me he had Acute Renal Kidney failure.it didn`t make sense that he could just get this out of no where and they had no straight answers to give me as to why it happened..Now i know why and it disappoints me that this company that all the pet owners in this country trusted in healthy food for our pets announced this IMPORTANT news AFTER they knew it was contaminated? when the owners of pets say WE WANT COMPENSATION FOR WHAT HAS BEEN DONE, it means its because some people spent money attempting to save our kids from what ultimately had to be done - letting them go.EXACTLY, HOW are you going to "COMPENSATE" for pet owners' loss financially becuase we all know that you cannot compensate our attachment to our pets who SHOULDVE lived much longer if it werent for your "100% satisfaction" food.instead of announcing "MENUFOODS SAYS THEY WILL COMPENSATE FOR OWNERS DEAD OR SICK PETS", announce a solution more useful like covering for the thousands of dollars that heartbroken owners spent trying to save our loved ones.

[bev4molly]

I lost my beautiful cat of less than 4 years to Acute Kidney Failure. She was an indoor cat and loved very much. She started getting sick on a Thursday and by Tuesday of the following week she was put to sleep. She had been eating the Wal-Mart brand of Special Kitty for three years and in February I could see the packaging change and the formula also changed. Than I found out that it was BAD. This is such a lose, I these people are responsible. Somehow they need to step up to the plate and do something. WE WILL MISS YOU "LUCY".
Please anyone who wants to pursue this legally email me at [e-mail]

[hatladyhead]

I couldn't understand how my cat Bumba just died suddenly. I watched him die, there was no time to hurry him to the vet; he was dead before I could even think about what to do. I am beside myself. I thought I did something wrong, only now to discover I was doing the normal thing. I loved him. I had heard about this pet food recall thing, but didn't really put two and two together until I watched an update on CBS News. Wow, what a shock. I guess I'm in the same boat as a lot of people, this is terrible.

[bleszn]

On 02/17/07- I lost one of my best friends...my days have been a nightmare as I've been taunted by the question of what caused his demise...and my nights full of surrow upon the realization that there is nothing that I can do to bring him back...than the feeling of despair...and lonlines consumes me...though my husband is near. Not knowing...has been the hardest thing to deal with...and now knowing his death could have been prevented is even harder. I thought Nutro Natural Choice was a smart choice...$1,000 for one inpatient day...his doctor conclusion was that he must have consumed something toxic because he was too young for kidney failure...but what could he have consumed? I've always been careful with his food consumption...every organ appeared attack...his x-rays so cloudy...from an apparent infection...the pain he must have experience...yet he remained courageous...for he never let me see him whimper...If I could just turn back the clock...my friend would still be here...Did PETCO not know? I always use my PALS card...I've been buying the same brand for at least 4 years...My husband and I brought the chuncking pouches as an additional treat...some treat...I will never regain what I lost...and I will never forget...I will always love you BLESZ'N.

[lisa64imp]

Dgregorack
Concerned 50
wevs
kerriszy99
msjane1975
Cpyouinc

FYI: I have been following these post closley and have so far found 15 post concerning dry food as well.... I lost my two dogs in three days from the same symptoms. They ate only dry dog food. One was 3 1/2 years old and the other about 6 or 7.

As previously states by another.... Only coincidental?

"If your cat died from dry food contact this agency. This is the website.
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
Posted by kerriszy99"

I have been saving all comments related to dry foods. If anyone would like a copy.
[e-mail]

[lisa64imp]

For Harley and Cheech:

Dry dog food anyone?

My heart goes out to all who have lost their beloved pets. I lost my two dogs with in three days of each other. Both dogs displayed the exact symptoms described in the recall articles, however, they were being fed Old Roy dry dog food. I have only seen one other reference to dry foods. Neither dog was able to be diagnosed by their vet.

Cheech, an eight year old feist mix, fell ill first with very dramatic and painful symptoms. My young adult children rushed her to the vet, however, no test were not performed and she died the next day.

almost immediately after Cheech died, Harley, a three year old chow mix, began showing signs of depression, lack of appetite, fatigue, and decreased voiding. We did not realize the significance. On the third day, he became lethargic, vomited once and died on the way to the vet. We have sent him to the NC disease diagnostic facility for testing.

All of this was prior to the recall notices. With any luck we will have an answer in a few days.

If anyone else has had problems or concerns with dry food as well, please respond so as no other dogs will suffer.

[boxcarrobbee]

My cat died yesterday (3/20/2007) from kidney failure. I took him to the emergency vet on Monday night, they had no idea what the problem was. They initially thought antifreeze, but after testing the urine, that came back negative. The food he ate was Iams original with chicken, dry cat food. The 8 didgit code on the bag is: 63624137. If anyone has any codes the same, STOP USING THE FOOD AND SAVE THE BAG. I do not think its just the "wet" cat food. I am looking into a lawsuit now.

[jewelsdadog]

Below are statements from the IAMS website, for the entire release go to:
http://us.iams.com/iams/global/Product_Recall.htm

You may wonder why some %u201Cwet%u201D food was produced at Menu Foods. In fact, virtually every pet food company commonly uses outside partners for special or small volume items. Nonetheless, the different branded products made by Menu are not %u201Cthe same%u201D. Our Iams and Eukanuba pet foods have unique recipes and important ingredient differences that distinguish them from other pet food brands.

Until the root cause of this pet health issue is found, we will not produce any more of these products at the Emporia plant. We%u2019ll keep you updated when we have more information

I believe that both IAMS and EUKANUBA are Proctor & Gamble products.

[osterholdj1]

My family and I had two cats one died in December and the other just today. We have used Special Kitty Brand cat food. The two cats use to play together running through the house it was like having little ones again. They both had their own personalities and were very much a big part of the family. We have one more cat and a puppy and they are both being watched over. We can hardly believe that our two cats are gone, all due to Menu Food Co. We very much want to join with other pet owners to make sure this never happens again.We will miss our babies very much.

[jewelsdadog]

Please also note that:
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), www.aafco.org, an advisory body of state and federal feed regulators, develops recommended standards for nutrient contents of dog and cat foods. AAFCO also publishes ingredient definitions and regulations

[jewelsdadog]

As for the person who complained about Name Brands such as IAMS etc "farming out" the manufacturing of their foods, that is quite common in all industries....are all the parts in your car made by Ford, GM etc, NO. If you buy the store brand of an electronic device such as a TV or DVD player you are buying something made by someone else.

As for pet foods being of a quality for human consumption....I do not believe that is or was ever true, as most warn against human consumption.

For additional regulatory information on pet food and labeling, call CVM at 301-594-1755 or visit: www.fda.gov/cvm

[jewelsdadog]

My heart goes out to all those who have lost a canine and/or feline friend. Although not from this recent food catastrophe, but I too have lost canine friends. But, from what I have been reading on here, clearly many people are making comments and statements and want all who read them to take them as the truth. Much of what I have read, is obviously not true. I would recommend going to the first site listed immediately below for an interesting read.

from: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.html

"Like human foods, pet foods are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and must be pure and wholesome and contain no harmful substances. They also must be truthfully labeled. Foods for human or pet consumption do not require FDA approval before they are marketed, but they must be made with ingredients that are "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) or ingredients that are approved food and color additives. If scientific data show that an ingredient or additive presents a health risk to animals, CVM can prohibit or modify its use in pet food."

[wevs]

they dont know what it is. they SAy it is the gravy but they dont know. My cat got very sick a couple Sunday's ago. Luckily i took him to emergency right away, they treated him and gave him anti biotics.

i used dry science diet and he had the EXACT SAME symptoms -- sudden lethargy, diaherea, bad gas, urinating often and anywhere and loss of appetite.He was crying in pain. My current vet (not emergency vet) is dismissing it--and I told him clearly what happened. He thinks I need reassurance but I was telling him what happened. I dont need reassurances--I need him to listen to the fact --they dont have the whole picture. My cat's kidneys were 3x the size they should be. luckily he is okay now but when i tried to reintroduce science diet dry food (sensative stomach and hairball control mixed --bags bought in late Feb) he reacted the same way.

I am waititng for his follow up blood work. I now have him on a different brand. Be careful. How can they say its the gravy when they dont even know why? ALSO--just so you know--there have been a heck of a lot more posted pages to this than just 15-18 on cbs comments. I've been watching and many many many people are posting here -- they are just not keeping all the posts. --wevs

[parablow]

This may be part of a bigger problem. There are several foods based in USDA ingredients instead of feed ingredients. Here are some reference that explain why: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/jesse.htm#commercial
The book, Food Pets Die For, by Anne Martin, blew the whistle on these problems.
The FDA actually requires feed materials to be contaminated with %u201Cover tolerance of unpermitted drug residue, contamination from industrial chemicals, non-food pesticide%u201D and more http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Policy_Procedures/3650.pdf
AAFCO, American Association of Feed Control Officials benefits its stake-holders and industry advisors with the public facade that it is a quality control agency for the public. AAFCO, a private company, creates enforceable policy under direction of only industry advisors with no public representation. http://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/Public/label%20book.pdf %u201CAAFCO is an organization of state and federal feed regulators advised by industry advisors for the sole purpose of designing feed regulations that are fair and equitable to both consumers and industry.%u201D Yeah, Somebody%u2019s got to protect big industry from us. Thanks AAFCO Hopefully the animals that have died as a result of issues surrounding this recent recall will not have died for nothing if people continue to look past what these PR reps are saying to appease our concerns and into what is really happening. Our pets deserve better than "Diverted Unfit Food for Animal Use."

[cwalkowicz]

With no one to returning his calls from Iams, my VET is now treating my cat for acute kidney failure. Since the manufacturers will post no helpful suggestions, he believes that is the best course of action to take. My cat ate the Iams Select Bites with the EXACT product codes and became sick within 24 hours. This is not something you need to worry about "whether or not your pet was exposed to". You will know in no uncertain terms that your pet has eaten something very very bad.

[eltink]

Here is the information I got from a New York law firm regarding a class action suit. I don't know if I already posted this, but I figure it can't hurt to re-post:

CLASS ACTION SUIT: I just talked to the attorney in New York and he is most interested in pursuing a class action lawsuit against Menu Foods. He gave the okay to post his name and e-mail address. I would ask that ONLY those whose animals' illnesses/deaths REALLY are most likely attributable to the recalled foods (and have some sort of documentation to make that connection -- be it veterinarians' statements, lab work, left-over packages of the food with the correct "identifiers") contact him. His name is Alan Sash; e-mail [e-mail]. Obviously, he will be inundated with e-mails; I would suggest you include your name, address, and telephone numbers and a SHORT synopsis of what happened to you. Also, he told me that there will be a segment on ABC News tonight regarding the whole issue. Again, PLEASE only contact him if you really believe you have a case against Menu Foods.

[nscatwoman]

I have 12 cats and just lost one last month. I feed them several different kinds of the recalled food. My baby that died was fead Iams and pouch food which I thought was one of the best. What a hard thing to have to live with knowing I fead him the food that killed him. Now who will protect my other cats for long term care? I know that at least 5 of the others were affected. They all quit eating, threw-up and acted different than they usually do. Now who do we trust? Big bussiness is only after greed. Why weren't these companies letting the public know of all the dangers!! They all should be made accountable for what they have done!!