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

[momoffuzzyfaces]

"It's wide-open. As far as ingredients go, there is no regulation," says Ann Martin, a Canadian pet-health advocate and author of three pet-food related books, including 1997's "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food." While the raw materials used in commercial pet food often contain animal protein derived largely from slaughterhouse offal--unused animal parts--Martin contends that there are other sources of that material, including road kill, zoo animal carcasses and fecal matter. ...

The industry insists their products are absolutely safe. "Pet foods are the highest regulated product you'll find in the grocery store," says Duane Ekedahl, president of the Pet Food Institute (PFI), an industry trade association representing the interests of 20 member companies whose products make up about 97 percent of the dog and cat food produced in the United States. ...

On Tuesday, PFI issued a statement claiming that, "All cat and dog food products on store shelves are safe. The recall is now complete and all suspected products have been removed from the stream of commerce. ..."

[ {{}} Anybody care to believe that?? ]

Wonder if Phish Food or Hamster Pellets would be safer?


/s/ Phred

If pet food is "highly regulated" I hate to think what's in our food! No wonder Peanutbutter was having such a time lately!!!

If they don't know for sure what is causing the problem, how do they know it's been fixed?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

We have two cases so far here in British Columbia, Canada. It hasn't been confirmed whether or not it was tainted food that made the cats sick. Poor kitties.

BC Cats Believed to be Sickened by Tainted Food

Wednesday, March 21 - 03:45:00 PM Reshmi Nair

KAMLOOPS (NEWS1130) - A veterinarian in Kamloops believes two cats have now suffered kidney failure because of tainted food involved in the massive recall.

Doctor Diane McKelvey says thankfully, both felines are expected to survive.

"These two cats have been on that food. We treated them with I.V fluids, one has recovered quite well and has just gone home. The other will be in the hospital for a few days."

She says it is extremely important to diagnosis kidney disease as soon as possible so animals can receive the proper fluids to survive.

The frantic search continues for what exactly is in the food that has killed 14 pets in North America.

Vets are urging pet owners to remain calm and check their pet's food labels against the list of brands recalled on the website menu-foods-dot-com.

If you're concerned your pet may have eaten tainted food, keep an eye out for any behavioral changes.

[crow_noir]

The latest in the pet food scare

Pet Owners Report 241 Deaths from Food
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2963443&page=1

Snippet:
"If owners believe that their pet has been eating the food, Becker said that they should bring their pets into the vet's office immediately.

Cats, Becker said, can lose 80 percent of kidney function before showing evidence of a problem. But once the animal reaches this tipping point, the problem becomes apparent. By this time, treatment may come too late."

http://www.menufoods.com/recall

http://www.petconnection.com/ Click here to report a sick pet. (Owners have reported over 500 deaths) I took the time to hunt down this link since the article didn't include it. PLEASE pass it on.

[cmayer31]

AVMA Offers Advice to Pet Owners after Nationwide Food Recall
3/20/2007

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.— The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), in response to a national pet food recall, offers the following information and advice to concerned pet owners:

Menu Foods, Inc., a Canadian private-label pet food manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, has issued a recall on all its "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food products produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas, between December 3, 2006, and March 6, 2007.

This recall includes 90 brands across the entire manufacturing spectrum. A complete list of affected foods including date and product information codes is available through the AVMA Web site at:

http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/070318.asp.

If you have any of the products identified on these lists, immediately stop feeding them to your pet.

If you suspect that your pet has been affected by a recalled food, do the following three steps to help your veterinarian with your pet's diagnosis:

Retain food samples for analysis.
- Retain 4 cans or 1 kg of dry food, when possible.
- Freeze when possible or store at room temperature in airtight bags.

Document product name, type of product and manufacturing information.
- Retain all packaging.
- Identify date codes or production lot numbers.
- Retain purchase receipts.


Document product consumption.
- Dates products or products were fed.
- Consumption and palatability history.
- Time of onset of clinical signs.
- Detailed dietary history (ie, all products fed and feeding methods).

Although the exact cause is not currently known, animals that have become ill after consuming these products have shown signs of acute kidney failure.

Dr. Sandra Willis, DVM, a board certified diplomate and communications chair with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and member of the AVMA Council on Communications, advises that signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption and also changes in urination. Anybody who has a pet that exhibits these signs should take the animal to a veterinarian.

"Owners shouldn't panic, because there can be a wide variety of reasons a pet might exhibit these symptoms," Dr. Willis explained. "But it's always prudent that, when a pet is exhibiting any signs of illness, the pet owner should contact their veterinarian immediately."

A veterinarian may call for a urinalysis and blood work, and might also perform additional tests, such as an x-ray or ultrasound, to rule out other possible problems such as bladder and kidney stones. If it has been determined that the cat or dog has been affected by consumption of the recalled pet food, a veterinarian could decided to treat the illness with medications and/or intravenous fluids.

"If the kidney disease is severe, such as the animal is not urinating at all, the veterinarian can refer or consult with a specialist from the ACVIM for more specialized care," Dr. Willis explained.
Owners of pets affected by the recalled pet foods who wish to report the incident should contact the FDA, by going to the FDA Web site at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html to find the FDA complaint coordinator in their state.

Please monitor the AVMA Web site (www.avma.org) for the latest information on the recall. Consumers with questions for the manufacturer can contact Menu Foods, Inc. at 1-866-895-2708. A list of veterinary specialists can be found at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine at www.acvim.org, or by calling 800-245-9081.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Menu Foods

Thursday, March 22 - 02:00:00 PM

Ontario (News1130) - A national class action lawsuit has been filed in the Ontario Superior Court on behalf of pet owners who bought dog and cat food made by Menu Foods.

The claim seeks compensation for all those who purchased dog or cat food manufactured by the company between December 3rd, 2006 and March 6th, 2007.

Toronto lawyer Joel Rochon says while most of the claims are for vet expenses, it's hard to put a price on a pet.

"The jury is still out has to how the court will deal with emotion damage or psychological damage from one losing a pet unnecessarily to a bad product."

Menu Foods has recalled about 90 brands of dog and cat food in North America after reports of animals dying.

A second class action suit filed yesterday in Windsor alleges the Canadian manufacturer was negligent and at least one other suit has been filed in Chicago.

[crow_noir]

" http://progressivelaw.ezsitelaunch.com/main.asp?id=11

(If for some reason that page doesn't open, go to:
http://www.progressivelaw.com/
click on "Information on our Pet Food Lawsuit " at the top of the page.) "

[crow_noir]

Banfield Helps the FDA and Victims of Pet food Recall

http://www.prnewswire.com/news/index...4551873&EDATE=

PORTLAND, Ore., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- To help treat Pets who have
been affected by the Menu Foods recall, Banfield, The Pet Hospital is
providing a 25 percent discount off the recommended medical treatment plans
received at participating Banfield hospitals across the nation. Specialists
and other experts have developed these specific treatment plans to screen
for and treat kidney problems seen in patients who have eaten the tainted
foods.
In addition, the Banfield Charitable Trust has created an emergency
fund and donated the first $50,000 in funding to financially assist clients
with Pet medical costs incurred at Banfield that are associated with the
Menu Foods product contamination. Banfield Charitable Trust funds from this
grant can be applied for at Banfield hospitals.
Banfield is assisting the FDA in their investigation of the Menu Foods
recall. All Banfield's Pet medical records are linked through a central
computer system, giving Banfield the capability of rapidly collecting a
large amount of Pet data. We hope that our cooperation with the FDA will
shed light on the problem and help the many Pets affected by these diets.
Banfield hospitals across the nation are treating Pets who have been
affected by the recalled Pet food. Young feline patients (especially cats
under the age of one) appear to have the greatest risk of developing renal
failure linked to the recalled diets. All Pet owners of Pets who have eaten
the wet food products that are on the Menu Foods recall list are encouraged
to take their Pet in to their veterinarian for a full exam. To locate the
Banfield nearest to you, call 1-800-768-8858.
It is important that Pet owners review the complete list on the Menu
Foods website to view the most updated list of the specific diets that have
been recalled. Pet owners with concerns or questions regarding the
effective foods should contact Menu Foods at 1-866-463-6738 or online at
http://www.menufoods.com/recall.
Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1955, Banfield has become the largest
Pet general veterinary practice in the world, with more than 600 quality
veterinary hospitals in many neighborhoods across the U.S., in the U.K. and
in Mexico. More than 1000 veterinarians at Banfield are committed to giving
Pets the same level of care that their human family members receive.
Banfield hospitals offer a full-range of comprehensive, medical services,
computerized medical records, Pet preventive care plans, extended operating
hours, and is the only veterinary practice in the world with an extensive
quality assurance program. Banfield, The Pet Hospital helps extend the
lives of millions of Pets each year.
For Banfield media inquires, please contact the media hotline:
#888-355-0595
Contact: Jennifer Baque, Public Relations, (503) 922-5698,
[email protected]


SOURCE Banfield, The Pet Hospital

http://www.banfield.net/

Copyright © 1996-2007 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[smokey the elder]

There's a Banfield in our Petsmart.

[finn's mom]

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

I didn't read all the information or all the posts, so this might be a repeat. It might also be false, but what the folks are saying at the pet store I get Freckles' and Dudley's food from is this...the food is manufactured by the individual companies (using their ingredients and recipes, etc) and then sent to be packaged at a different facility. What she said was that all those companies use about four or five facilities for the packaging of their foods, and that the problem was at the packaging facilities, not the food manufacturer's facilities. That sounds more feasible to me than the idea that all the food is the same (which was my initial thought as well).

I can't remember the last time I fed canned food, though, thank goodness, which is why I haven't really been following the recall or this thread.

[elizabethann]

I just posted this in GENERAL - I just got a breaking news report. The pet food that was recalled had rat poison in it!