Tainted Food Pet Deaths Put At Over 100
Founder Of Vets' Web Site Gathering Data Says Toll Likely Much Higher
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Play CBS Video Video Poisoned Pet Total Surges The number of pets killed by tainted pet food has climbed much higher than the modest official total of 16. Dr. Debbye Turner reveals to Harry Smith that 104 pets have died.
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Video Signs Your Pet May Be Sick Officials now say rat poison contaminated pet food, which has been blamed for killing at least 16 cats and dogs. Dr. Debbye Turner speaks with Harry Smith about how you can tell if your pet is sick.
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Video Pet Food Recall Widens Pet food maker Menu Foods expanded its recall to include products made on all dates after scientists said rat poison was the substance responsible for the contamination. Dr. Debbye Turner reports.
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In The Spotlight Pet Planet Learn more about caring for your pet and see some wacky video.
The maker of the recalled pet food, Menu Foods, of Ontario, Canada, has confirmed the deaths of only 16 pets.
Paul Pion, founder of the Veterinary Information Network, which counts 30,000 veterinarians and veterinary students as members, said Tuesday the number of reported kidney failure cases had already grown higher than the 471, but he said he wouldn't have an updated tally for a few days.
Of the reported cases, he said, 104 animals have died. The network's survey results were earlier reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Pion, a California veterinarian, said only 10 percent to 20 percent of the people who belong to his Web site had responded to a request for information.
"If we're only getting 10 percent of the veterinarians, you can do the math," he said.
Early Show resident veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner said Wednesday, "Pretty much every vet you talk with has one or two cases."
She adds that another Web site, PetConnection.com declares nearly 2,000 pets have died from eating the recalled food.
So who is right? In short, Turner says, nobody really knows, and, "We don't know that some of the pets reported on PetConnection aren't some of the same pets reported on VIN or reported in other series."
The American Veterinary Medical Association told The Early Show, "The AVMA has not tracked the number of deaths and cannot verify reports coming from other organizations."
And Dr. Ann Hohenhaus of the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan told Turner, "I think that the worst should be past, because the recalled foods have been off the shelves since March 17. Everybody has gone through their kitchen cabinets and, I hope, taken all foods off the shelf."
Scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory last week identified the rodent poison aminopterin as the likely culprit in the scare that prompted the recall by Menu Foods of 95 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food.
Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog. Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid that was once used to induce abortions and is now banned as a rodent poison in the United States, can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats.
Scientists so far have offered no theories on how aminopterin got into the products of Menu Foods, which makes pet food for most of North America's top retailers.
Researchers at the New York food lab, Cornell University and other labs were still working Tuesday to pinpoint which individual ingredients were tainted with the poison, officials said. They also said there could still be undetected hazards in the food.
Sam Bornstein, a spokesman for Menu Foods, said the company has not yet updated the number of confirmed pet deaths. He said testing to determine the source of the aminopterin and how it got into the food "is continuing aggressively" but Menu did not have any new results.
The company on March 16 recalled products packaged from Dec. 3 to March 6 and advised retailers last week to remove all the products from their shelves to verify the dates they were packaged. Products not made between those dates can still be sold.
The recall covered products carrying names of major 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.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focused on the ingredient wheat gluten.
Testing has not been easy.
Wheat gluten has "been a real difficult sample to work with," said Daniel Rice, director of the New York food lab. "It's real sticky, gummy. If you can imagine wet flour and you're trying to get that into solution and put that into an instrument."
Veterinary Information Network provides a secure site where veterinarians share clinical information and other resources such as conference schedules and continuing education courses.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 36 CommentsIn a news conference, FDA OFFICIALS sai that apparently MELAMINE-CONTAMINATED wheat gluten also shipped to a company that manufactures DRY PET FOOD. But they would not name the company. The FDA said it would alert the public quickly if the melamine was found in any foods other than the recalled pet food.
Over 8,000 complaints have been reported, well I THINK THERE WILL BE MORE NOW. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!! ONE STORY AFTER ANOTHER. WHERE IN THE HELL IS QUALITY CONTROLL IN THIS INDUSRTY???
Like everyone else has mentioned what are these companies going to do for us when it was too late to save our animal. I'm sorry for all the pet owners who've lost their beloved ones..Snapper we love you....
"I have 8 rescues, 6 living in the house 2 outside. Any good recipes out there I could make for them? How can I find recipes for them? Don't know what to do--- help!"
Hi, dog-x8,
For the past 7 years, I've fed homemade diets to 16 'special needs' rescue dogs (ages 6 months to 19 years old) and can attest to the health benefits a fresh food diet can provide.
Although it can be more expensive and time-consuming to feed a home-prepared diet, it is very worthwhile. A properly balanced homemade diet can promote healthy skin/coat, little or no "doggy" odor, a lean and well-toned body, a strong immune system and abundant energy.
If you're interested in preparing homemade meals that fit the needs of your dogs, I highly recommend the following books, which include sample recipes:
%u2022 "Optimal Nutrition, Raw and Cooked Canine Diets: The Next Level" (published 2007)
By Monica Segal, AHCW, Foreword by Ana S. Hill, DVM, PhD
http://tinyurl.com/2fer77
%u2022 "K9 Kitchen Your Dog's Diet: The Truth Behind the Hype"
By Monica Segal, AHCW (published 2002)
http://tinyurl.com/yxaqrx
%u2022 "Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets" (published 1999)
By Donald Strombeck, DVM, PhD
http://tinyurl.com/6b63t
Kind regards,
dogmother11
During those tests, the company fed its product to 40 to 50 dogs and cats and seven animals %u2014 the mix of species was not immediately known %u2014 died, Sundlof said. The contamination appeared more deadly to cats than to dogs, he said."
INSTEAD OF TESTING WHAT'S IN THEIR LOUSY FOOD, THEY TEST IT ON DOGS, CATS AND OTHER ANIMALS AND THEY ALL DIED!!!!! DOESN'T THAT SHOW YOU WHAT NUTS THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT! NOTHING IS WHAT!!!!!!!!
Make me wonder just how much Human Food is INSPECTED at the borders or will they Wait till 100 people Have died Before BEGINNING the investigation..
Could also Be a terroist act here .. Terroriist may have thought that this WHEAT GLUTIN was going into WHEAT BREAD and RYE BREAD .
izzitmee @ insightbb.com
Now the ASPCA says it may not solely be the rat poison ingredient that has contaminated the foods!
Go raw, make your own, your pet will be healthier and happier for it, and you'll have more peace of mind.
If you are talking about the canned tuna that we eat, I would stop feeding that to your cat. I don't know what the difference is between our tuna and the tuna in cat food but I was told years ago that OUR tuna can make a cat sick.
Rita in Tuscaloosa, Al.
We used to feed our cats only canned food until our vet told us that the dry food is better for them. Now they only get the canned stuff as a special treat. Since the recall, they have been getting tuna fish. Probably not something the vet would agree too, but they sure enjoy it and it is only 2 or 3 times a week.
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