Rat Poison Found In Tainted Pet Food
Aminopterin Used To Kill Rats In Some Countries But Not In U.S.; Unclear How It Got In Food
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Pet Food Poison Identified
Investigators blame rat poison for the deaths of at least 16 pets across the country, but are still trying to find out how the toxic chemical got into the pet food. Alexis Christoforous reports.
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Rat Poison Found In Pet Food
CBS News Raw: New York State agriculture officials and Cornell University's Animal Health Diagnostic Center announced laboratory findings of rat poison in Menu Foods' tainted pet food.
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Owner Sues Over Pet's Death
At least one lawsuit is being filed after tainted pet food killed at least 17 pets. Dr. Debbye Turner reports that the manufacturer waited almost a month before telling the public about the danger.
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Pebbles, a 7-year-old Yorkshire terrier who is battling kidney failure after eating dog food that was later recalled, is cared for at Collett Veterinary Clinic in Los Angeles, March 21, 2007. (AP)
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Daniel Rogan, 12, holds a photo of his first kitten, 9-month-old Snowball, as he sits in his home with his father, Rock Rogan, left, and mother Janet Rogan, right, March 20, 2007, in Mansfield, Mass. The kitten suffered kidney failure and was euthanized two weeks ago after eating tainted pet food, according to the family. (AP/Boston Herald, David Goldman)
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A sign explains why a store shelf is empty. (Getty Images/Joe Raedle)
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The toxin was identified as aminopterin, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said in a statement. Aminopterin is used to kill rats in some countries, but it's not registered for that use in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The officials did not say how they believe it got into the pet food.
The substance was found at a level of at least 40 parts per million in tested cat food samples, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Testing was done at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory.
"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.
The lab tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods, the manufacturer that produced all the recalled food. Aminopterin was found in two samples. The lab has not tested any dog food.
Hooker said the lab would be testing individual components of the pet food.
Aminopterin, also used as a cancer drug, is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system.
Aminopterin is an exotic toxin that has veterinarians like Roland Tripp as nervous as they are baffled, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Alfonsi.
"I think pet owners are scared and they should be, because we've got this new problem that no one really understands," Tripp said.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focusing on wheat gluten in the food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins, the FDA said.
State and FBI officials said they knew of no criminal investigations in the case.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
Menu Foods last week recalled "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site.
The recall has led to at least three lawsuits against Menu Foods from pet owners who allege their animals got sick or died after eating recalled food.
Mourning turned to outrage after owners learned that Menu Foods waited nearly a month before notifying the public, reports CBS News The Early Show veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner. This means that unsuspecting owners were poisoning their pets.Click here more information on the recall from the FDA.
"To find out they knew about this weeks ago, and that the cats they tested died!" former cat owner Dawn Marjerczyk told CBS. Marjerczyk's cat died after eating some of the tainted cat food. "Why wasn't it pulled off then? Why do so many people have to suffer right now?"
The company's chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
Menu Foods also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case.
"I don't know where we'll go from here," he said.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click here more information on the recall from the FDA.



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See all 224 CommentsYeah, you're right. Would a million dollars make you feel better? Or are you hoping for more?
But, wait, didn't you say MISTAKE? Last time I checked, we punish people for intentional hurt, not mistakes.
I believe it is or should be a crime for Menu Foods to have tested the food, found it to be poisonous, and then still waited to sound the alarm.
Imagine if General Foods had been so calous in their cereal production. They would have stopped sales and demanded a recall immediately. What Menu Foods has done to Americans is criminal.
Really sick.
I'd bet some disgruntled former employee of Menu Foods was behind this act of cruelty.
They need to pay for that "mistake".
Only a creep like you would spark a comment like that. People like you thrive on someone's missfortunes.
Only a creep like you would spark a comment like that. People like you thrive on someone's missfortunes.
Oh I'm quite serious. It's the perfect story to pull attention away from the prosecutor firings. Just ask the the libs.
Another creep......
Another creep......
Posted by mitch0927 at 12:18 PM : Mar 23, 2007
Thanks Mitch, I apologize. I do wonder if Haliburton was involved though.
Not sure if it%u2019s because of the news being there 24/7, but the past couple of years after 9/11...there sure has been a lot of food recalls and sicknesses. I am not the type of person who jokes around about serious things like this, but think about it. I believe that it could be a conspiracy, but hard to prove.
WHAT?? You got to be kidding me. What a bunch of idiots and some of you.
There are a lot of things with much, much need of attention. What about the elderly suffering because of insufficent medical care, or homeless, or people everywhere who suffer more than you could ever dream.!
And this will bring lawsuits and whinning all over. One more thing, how many you think die everyday in large city, like NYC, from eating the *** people throw out. Probably the whinning ones here!
There is a clear, documented connection between acts like this against animals, and an escalation to attacks on human beings.
The cruelties practiced on animals by the young Jeffrey Dahmer and by Richard Allen Davis (the murderer of Polly Klaas) are not mere anecdotal evidence.
Cruelty to animals is evil in itself, but it can be one really sick step from putty rat poison in pet food, to putting cyanide in bottles of Tylenol.
Any prison psychologist can confirm that.
Posted by mitch0927 at 12:24 PM : Mar 23, 2007
I think your'e right Mitch. Funny how nothing has happened to Cheney's cat or Bush's dog.
My keyboard is putty today.
"Putting", not "putty".
Because their food is probably cooked and prepared....after the "taste testers" are done.
Posted by mitch0927 at 12:34 PM : Mar 23, 2007
Of course they are. Mine are too.
Then I thought more and more about it and my conspiracy theory thoughts began to blossom...look at all the media attention this has taken away from all the Bush scandals...
No...I must not become a conspiracy theorist!!!! Ha! But seriously, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if it was all done to take attention away from all of the Bush scandals.
Multi-tasking.
That's the concept.
Be concerned about more than one thing at a time.
Because I contribute what I can to lessen the sufferings you mention, that doesn't mean I can't be concerned about this as well.
Besides, as I previously stated, there's a connection. Creeps who do this to animals will often escalate to attacks on human beings if they aren't stopped.
How do you know these people are like that? The kid isn't even looking at the camera. You're an idiot for labeling someone you don't even know.
Posted by kpokey at 12:35 PM : Mar 23, 2007
Haliburton had an office in the 90's exactly 476 miles from the Menu Foods plant. If you divide that by dog years (7), you get 68. I think Cheney is 68 years old.
How do you know these people are like that? The kid isn't even looking at the camera. You're an idiot for labeling someone you don't even know.
Posted by mitch0927
Was the child just sitting at home holding up a picture and staring off into space when the news media just happened to come by? I stand by what I said.
Only because you're an idiot
The freaky ones LIVE to make insensitive comments.
This has gone from just bad food to someone in one of the plants putting something in the food... Someone has set out to poison our pets...
The sad part is that no one will end up seeing a dime... as pets are classed property and not family... so by the time you get paid out the cost of your pet and maybe the vet bills back... then pay the lawyer... it will in the end cost them more... it really is not fair... then prove it... if you don't have lab results and proof that you fed your pet that food... and that specific food was bad.. which means you will ahve to pay for the lab testing... you are pretty much screwed from the start... and if you can't prove it and take them to court.. they can come back after you... crappy and not fair but true...
so in the end the best to hope for is that they find the person responsible...
Impossible to judge from one still photo.
(You'd never know what an incredibly handsome, Paul Newman-esque man I am, from my drivers license photo)
There are videos of the press conference that should be referred to, if one really wants to know.
Everyone here loves cats, including me. Especially with a light, wine sauce. They taste not unlike chicken. They are the other white meat you know.
Why don't you come to Pittsburgh sometime? Seriously, I would love to hear you say that in person you piece of trash!
Posted by MarkS7177 at 12:53 PM : Mar 23, 200
Do they have lots of cats there?
Only because you're an idiot.
How old are you?
True.
They should require verifiable credit card information (not a fee, just the information) to post on these forums. I've been saying that for years.
(Anyone who can afford access to a computer will have a credit card)
That would lift the veil of anonymity a little.
It is anonymity on the Internet that emboldens cowardly trolls, who say things before masses of people that they'd be afraid to whisper too loudly in Starbucks, for fear of a confrontation.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 01:00 PM : Mar 23, 2007
Fear of a confrontation in Starbucks? Now that's funny!
Posted by MarkS7177 at 01:14 PM : Mar 23, 2007
Sorry Mark, but I don't date guys. Especially with cats.
Youv'e succeeded in hurting my feelings. I will leave the thread now.
I wonder whether a low paid employee, who didn't care about their job because their employers didn't care enough about them to pay them anything more than the bare minimum allowed by law, which says "if I could pay you less, I would.", was responsible for this tragedy?
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