Major "wet" pet food recall of dog & cat foods ~ NOW Includes Treets & Biscuits

[Chica]

Hi, I checked some food I had in the garage for my 2 Chihuahua's. I have pouches of Nutro Natural Choice puppy food, Chicken and Cheese Casserole and Yankee Pot Roast. The Chicken is dated Dec, which is a recall date, and Pot Roast is dated Nov. which is not a recall date.I am not going to use them in my dogs food, which I sometimes mix with Royal Canin dry food. I am going to throw them out. I make them ground chicken or turkey every week to put in their dry food. That is much safer to. I will not buy canned or pouch food for a long time.

[lizbud]

I have been reading all of the news online looking for Pedigree as well
as my neighbor feeds her goldens Pedigree.

I have not seen it listed anywhere.

It is amazing how many brands come from just one source. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Thanks. I haven't found it on any recall lists either.I never have used
any food in pouchs, so that's good, I guess. It's strange that the company
involved can't find anything wrong in the food they've tested so far.

[Pom mommy]

I don't think Menu foods make Pedigree. I had some of the varieties of food here that were recalled . The dates and numbers didn't match but were in the time frame. I'm disgusted that "good" pet store brands of food are made with the same ingredients as the Walmart and grocery store brands. I'm also worried the girls may have eaten some of the lots that are considered contaminated . They have no signs of being sick but we'll call the vet tomorrow am and see if she wants to do a blood or urine test.
My girls won't eat their kibble without some canned food added so I went to good old Walmart and got a couple of cans of the Pedigree. I still don't feel safe about any of this.
I did drag all the affected brands we had back to the store and got a refund on all of it.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

At going on 17, Leonardo's teeth aren't what they used to be so he really needs some wet food. I'm going to go tomorrow and get him some Friskies or 9 Lives. They aren't shown on any of the lists I've seen. I'll be sure to stay away from the cuts and gravy stuff too.

[Cinder & Smoke]

We're getting some New Threads on this subject that do not have all the details.
/s/ Phred

[Logan]

Connie, Butter likes the fishiest pouches of Whiskas. They are not on the list, either. You might try that.

[ramanth]

Wow. I heard there was a pet food recall but had no idea it was this massive.

So are all those brands pretty much identical food but sold under different names and at different prices? How sad.

No one here has had wet food in a long time, but I've forwarded the list to everyone I can think of that has pets.

[lizbud]

I read yesterday that the thing causing the problem was a new ingrediant
they had just used from a new supplier. It was indentified as a 'wheat glutin"
mixture. I wonder if they tested this before adding it to the mix?



Recall of pet food alarms owners
Vets report a surge in calls after many big-name brands are pulled from shelves.

By Kimi Yoshino
Times Staff Writer
Published March 19, 2007


Worries about food safety hit America's pet owners last weekend as they came to grips with a dog and cat food recall affecting 88 brands of mostly canned "cuts and gravy" selections.

In all, about 60 million cans and foil pouches of items made by Streetsville, Canada-based Menu Foods Income Fund were being recalled.

As the food became linked to at least 10 recent animal deaths, pet owners began making nervous calls to their veterinarians and flooding the Canadian company's phone lines. Many of the best-known U.S. brands of pet food are on the recall list.

Patrick McElroy was annoyed and a little nervous Sunday while playing with his dog Eli at the Silver Lake dog park. "I did recently just buy three to four cans of Mighty Dog," he said. "I guess I'm just going to throw it out and not think about it. It's not even worth the chance."

McElroy expressed anger at the recall, particularly at a time when there have been increasing reports of contaminated foods.

"It's indicative of the trend of the entire country — not just dog food but human food too. If my dog ever died, I'd be outraged."

The large number of brands affected — all made by the same company at a Kansas facility from Dec. 3 to March 6 — also caught people's attention.

The list included big names such as Iams, Eukanuba and other private-label brands sold at major retailers. Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hills Pet Nutrition Inc. also voluntarily recalled some of their products made by Menu Foods.

"Oh my god, Eukanuba, too?" said Victoria Levy, 31, of the brand she occasionally buys for her teacup Yorkshire terrier. "That's so disturbing. When they put food on the shelves, you trust that it's safe."

On Sunday, an investigative team from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration collected more samples from the Menu Foods plant in Emporia, Kan., for testing and analysis. No cause had been identified.

Menu Foods spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said the complaints from consumers coincided with use of a new ingredient from a new supplier, but she declined to give more details until tests confirmed the problem. The company has stopped using the ingredient.

Most retailers have pulled the recalled products from their shelves. Now the FDA is encouraging consumers to check the company's website at http://www.menufoods.comfor specific recall information, including Universal Product Codes. They should purge their cupboards if necessary, said David Elder, the FDA's enforcement director. Distribution of the food appears to be nationwide and not necessarily isolated to a specific region.

The company's stock Friday dived nearly 26% on the Toronto Stock Exchange when news of the recall surfaced. The company said the recall could cost it $40 million.

The FDA is tracking reports of sick pets, Elder said. Local FDA offices can be reached through the agency's website at http://www.fda.gov .

Local pet clinics reported a surge in calls, and some veterinarians said they had treated potential cases. The recalled food may be causing kidney failure, whose symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.

Joel Pasco, a Costa Mesa veterinarian, said he treated a Yorkshire terrier Saturday that had suffered intermittent vomiting for a week. It had been fed one of the recalled pet foods. Lab tests were due back today.

"Those are common symptoms in dogs, whether it be spoiled food in a garbage can or food that was poisoned when it came out of the can, which is extremely rare," Pasco said.

Los Angeles pet owner Charles Marder fears his Belgian shepherd Ranger may have become sick after eating nine cans of recalled Iams food last week.

"He would just throw himself on the floor and start whimpering," said Marder, who took Ranger to the vet Thursday. "He would just be laying down and then just defecate."

After he heard about the recall, Marder made another appointment.

Greg Collins, 40, said he immediately checked the list. "I was like, 'Whew,' " he said. "Your dogs are your kids. Knowing the way owners are, they'll do like I did and they'll scramble to see which brands were responsible."

[momoffuzzyfaces]

When I went to Walmart this morning, it didn't look like a thing had been pulled. All the pouches and Special Kitty still in stock. All cat food fully still stocked. When I checked out, I asked the checkout person if 9 Lives was on the recall list. She asked "What recall list?" So I told her!!!

[lvpets2002]

It is all so sad to know that the food you trusted to feed your babies could have killed them.. Oh I am so so glad that I dont feed my girls any of those brands.. They like Whiskas Tender Bits & Dry & Meow Mix..