Worried Pet Owners Checking Food Labels

Pet Food Recall Affects 48 Dog Food Brands & 40 Cat Food Brands

(AP)  Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.

Menu Foods, the Ontario-based company that produced the pet food, said Saturday it was recalling dog food sold under 48 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was distributed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico by major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger and Safeway.

An unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said.

Meanwhile, two other companies — Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. — announced Saturday night that as a precaution they were voluntary recalling some products made by Menu Foods.

Many stores that sold the affected brands frantically pulled packages off shelves.

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Click here for a list of recalled brands.

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At a Petsmart store in Union, Silviene Grzybowski became worried when the four types of Iams products she buys for her cat, Smokey, had vanished from shelves. The cat was very sick and had not been eating for days, she said.

“The vet told us to buy her her favorite food, but I'm going to call the vet right now,” Grzybowski said, looking at an announcement Petsmart had taped to shelves announcing the recall.

Ron Finegold of Boynton Beach, Fla., said he noticed about a week or so ago that his family's 3-year-old cat — who was regularly fed a variety of Iams cat food — had stopped eating and did not appear well. He quickly took the animal to the veterinarian, who determined she was in renal failure.

He said he heard about the recall on the radio Friday night. He checked his trash, and found out he had given the cat some of the affected food.

“That's when I realized (the illness) had to be related,” Finegold said. “She won't be eating that stuff anymore.”

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information — [phone] and [phone] — but callers kept the lines busy for much of Saturday.

Menu Foods' chief executive and president Paul Henderson told the Associated Press on Friday that the company was still trying to figure out what happened.

He said that the company had received an undisclosed number of owner complaints that dogs and cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating its products. He estimated that the recall would cost the company, which is mostly owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, an estimated $26 million to $34 million.

Sarah Tuite, a company spokeswoman, has said the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, which has since been dropped for another source. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said it is still too early to determine what could have affected the food. Zawisza added that even if wheat gluten is the source “it doesn't necessarily mean the wheat gluten per se. It could be another substance associated with the wheat gluten.”

The recall covers the company's “cuts and gravy” style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches from Dec. 3 to March 6.

In Omaha, Neb., Susan Balvanz said she sometimes feeds her five cats packets of sliced meat and gravy sold by Nutro Products, one of the brands affected.

“I've done so much research on pet food. It didn't surprise me but it scared me all the same,” said Balvanz.

She said her 9-year-old cat, Boots, was especially fond of the food but seemed to have lost its appetite in the last few days.

At the Missouri Valley Veterinary Clinic in Bismarck, N.D., veterinarian Jacob Carlson has been referring worried pet owners to the Menu Foods web site.

“We've had a lot of calls,” Carlson said, although none of his patients were sick.

The company said it makes pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

[kerriszy99]

If your cat died from dry food contact this agency. This is the website.

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

[msjane1975]

I read this post today and also believe that the problem is prior to December 1st and involves the dry food too. My two and a half yr old cat Schnoozle was put to sleep on March 5th. He was separated from my other cats until December 1st and they aren't sick. I've always fed dry Iams with soft food only as a supplement. This post from earlier seems to coinside with my view. I am unable to get the info to anyone so will have to settle with posting it online for others to see.
Never had any health issues until this past November when he suddenly stopped eating. The only food that I have ever given him his entire life was Iams dry cat food. I thought he might just be tired of the flavor, so I bought another flavor of Iams dry. Still, he wouldn%u2019t eat and began loosing weight very rapidly. After trying everything to get him to eat, I brought him into the vet where they ran some blood work and determined that it was off, they said because of dehydration. They mentioned nothing of kidney problems. By January 20th, I had no choice but to euthanize him because there was nothing they could do for him. When I heard about the recall, it made me think about the food I was feeding him since I already thought of it as being very unusual for an otherwise young, healthy and happy animal to suddenly become terminally ill. Should I question the dry food as well, or is it strictly coincidental?
Posted by Cpyouinc at 02:19 PM : Mar 19, 2007

[numbsie5]

I had 3 cats and 1 dog. Now I only have 1 cat and 1 dog. The cat and dog I have now are stricly indoor pets. The 2 cats I lost where part indoor and outdoor cats. They came to us as lost pets 4 years ago and we took them in as our own pets. They had a different diet than our indoor pets. They didn't realy care about what they ate as long as they got food, so I purchased a cheeper brand of cat food for them. About 3 weeks ago they would not eat what they would normaly. I noticed they would come in and sleep more than they ever did and then the diareah started. I thought they just had gotten into something and that it would pass. I started to give them more water than they used to drink and hoped for the best. Last week My cats didn't come to eat, Monday 12, 2007. Nor did they come to eat the 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. On Saturday 18, 2007 I found that they had crawled off to die under our back deck. Im sure it was from the pet food I purchased for them. They where very hardy cats and a special part of our family even though they where indoor, outdoor cats. Now I learn that more than likely they died from kidney failure. What a sad what to go. Im very up-set and hurt to think that so many brands of food could be the cause of the deths to my cats. If this was human food contamination, It would be looked at a lot stronger than they are with animal food. They are true friends and never give us grief, only love. What will happen next?

[kerriszy99]

To odettegl- I have no idea what we can do! I think they should pay somehow for what me and my family had to go through. If you find anything out please let me know!
[e-mail]

Read the post about the unfortunate death of my kitty!

[kerriszy99]

I dont care what this company says, they killed my cat. The dispute is my cat was eating the Nutro Max DRY food! There is no way that should not be recalled too! My cat that I had for about a month was healthy and happy. I stated to feed her the Nutro Max dry and she stopped eating, got lathargic, and vomited daily.I took her to my vet and unfortunately he never ran any tests and said to see if she gets better and that it may be her bowels. She seemed better in 2 days so I never took her back. Six days later she was really bad and losing weight. I took her and they said that she had gone into renal failure and a number of other things because she was so bad at this point. They believed it would not be possible to save her and I had to have her put to sleep. My family and I were devistated and still are as she was like our kid! This company needs to recall All food!

[vecapereca]

Zebras5544,

You are asking about feeding homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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 homemade dog food...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!

[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!

[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 stols, etc. You can mix rice, cooked carrots, broccoli, zuccini, yams (NEVER use onions, grapes), and cooked meat you buy. 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 stols, etc. You can mix rice, cooked carrots, broccoli, zuccini, yams (NEVER use onions, grapes), and cooked meat you buy. 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 provided that as well-email me: [e-mail] Good luck!

[vecapereca]

Zebras5544,

You are asking about feeding homemade dog food...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. Don't stress if meals are the same a lot of times-what is kibble and they eat it all their life! Same meal every day for the rest of your life, now thats boring! If you need specific recipes, I can provide that as well-email me: [e-mail] Good luck!