PET FOOD RECALL INFORMATION

Firehouse has been closely monitoring the Menu Pet Foods recall since it began on Friday, 3/16/07. There is a lot of information (and misinformation) circulating in the media and on the internet, but we have continued to pull together the most up-to-date information in this summary. Here are some important facts:

• The recall was initiated by Menu Foods after February reports of cats developing kidney failure after eating the food. More recently, foods not produced by Menu have been added to the recall (some Del Monte treats, Alpo ‘Prime Cuts in Gravy’, and a small number of Natural Balance and Royal Canin products, among others).

• In initial reports, a total of 9 cats and 1 dog are thought to have died. The FDA is currently reporting approximately 20 deaths, and the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is unofficially reporting several hundred deaths (90% cats, 10% dogs).

• This is a very large recall involving over 100 different brands of food. The types of food affected are typically the “cuts and gravy” types sold in cans and small foil pouches manufactured between November 8, 2006 and March 6, 2007. Some dry foods are also affected.

• Very few prescription diets have been recalled. The ones that have are:

  1. Hill’s Prescription Diet M/D, a dry diet that comes in 4-lb and 10-lb bags. There have been no reports of problems with M/D – Hill’s is being careful because some M/D may have been made with tainted wheat gluten.

  2. Royal Canin Canine Early Cardiac EC 22, Canine Skin Support SS21, and Feline Hypoallergenic HP23, because of possible rice protein contamination.

• The exact cause of the problem is not yet known. Initially, there were reports of two possible toxins that researchers had found in the affected food –
  
  
  • Aminopterin – a chemical used for rat poison in some countries.
  • Melamine – a chemical used to create certain plastic

There is currently no evidence that either of these compounds is the cause of the problem; in fact, most researchers believe that neither is the culprit. In other words, we still do not know the exact cause.

• What we do know is that the ultimate cause of the problem is likely to have been contained in wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, and corn gluten imported from China. The FDA believes that the vast majority of foods containing these imported products have now been recalled.

• Don’t panic – we expect very few of our patients to be affected. If you do have any of the affected foods, stop feeding them and call Firehouse for advice.

• Signs of kidney disease include lethargy, a decreased appetite, vomiting and increased thirst/urination. If your pet is showing these signs, please call Firehouse.

• If necessary, we can run laboratory tests to check kidney function, which will help us determine if treatment is needed. Our laboratory partner, Antech, has been instrumental in identifying ways to detect evidence of these food-related problems in lab samples.

• If we find evidence of a problem, our doctors can formulate an effective treatment plan.

You can get more information from the following resources:

www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html - this site is maintained by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and has a wealth of information about the recall. It includes links to the list of Menu Foods that have been recalled, as well as the foods from other manufacturers that have been recalled.

www.menufoods.com/recall - this site is the most useful tool we have found; it lists the affected brands and provides links to either lists of specific serial numbers of concern or to the brand web sites.

You can also call Menu Foods at 1.866.895.2708 or 1.866.463.6738

Individual pet food company websites are also helpful (these are just a few of many):

IAMS / Eukanuba: www.iams.com; www.eukanuba.com ; 1.800.882.1591
Hill’s Pet Nutrition: www.hillspet.com ; 1.800.445.5777
Purina: www.purina.com ; 1.800.551.7392
Del Monte Pet Products: www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html ; 1.800.949.3799
Sunshine Mills Pet Foods: www.sunshinemills.com ; 1.800.705.2111

As always, Firehouse is ready to help – if you have any questions, please feel free to call. If you are concerned about your pet or if you see symptoms that worry you, please come in for an appointment. We can help make sure that everything is ok.

*There have been two other, unrelated recalls of certain pet treats carried at Target, PetsMart, and other stores due to contamination with Salmonella bacteria. The affected treats are:

Dingo CHICK'N JERKY 3.5 oz. and 8 oz. for dogs
Dingo Kitty CHICKEN JERKY 1.5 oz. for cats
Dingo Ferret CHICKEN JERKY 1.5 oz for ferrets

American Bullie A.B. Bull Pizzle Puppy Chew
American Bullie A.B. Bull Pizzle Dog Chew

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased appetite.
For more information, please call Firehouse.