Pet Food Recall

[maggiethecat]

This is important!

In case you haven't been following the story, Menu Foods of Canada, which makes pet food for something like 40 brands of North American cat food and 48 brands of dog food, has issued a MAJOR RECALL of their products. They haven't identified the specific problem yet, but something has tainted their products and pets have been dying. The symptom is a pet not eating, and the diagnosis is renal failure, which is fatal. So far at least ten cats have died: I don't have figueres on the number of dogs.

I printed out the following list and took it to my grocery store this afternoon -- after I threw about $20 of Iams in the garbage -- and they are on the case, so to speak. General lists of the affected products are available online, and I got mine from the New York City ABC news affiliate. Grocery stores are getting more detailed lists, by UPC codes, and they are getting new information daily. Best advice? Err on the side of caution and avoid anything made by the companies listed below.

I came home with Purina Naturals (no additives or chemicals) Chow and Fancy Feast canned food for Maggie. Purina seems to be okay, probably because they are a large enough concern that they have their own plants and don't have to "job" out to Menu Foods as do smaller companies. I was shocked to find such high-end companies as Eukanuba and Science Diet on the list.

Here's the list. Please, my dear friends, act now! I know how much The Fur People mean to all of us, and this is nothing to be cavalier about.

LIST OF RECALLED PET FOOD

CAT FOOD
Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Fine Feline Cat
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Hannaford
Hill country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Meijers Main Choice
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Paws
Pet Pride
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Science Diet (The recall affects only 3-ounce and 5.5-ounce cans of Kitten Savory Cuts Ocean Fish; 5.5-ounce cans of Feline Adult Savory Cuts Beef, Chicken and Ocean Fish, and 5.5-ounce cans of Feline Senior Savory Cuts Chicken.)
Sophisticat
Special Kitty Canada
Special Kitty US
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Total Pet, My True Friend
Wegmans
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie


DOG FOOD
Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijers Main Choice
Mighty Dog (The recall affects only 5.3 pouch products that were produced from Dec. 3, 2006 through March 14, 2007.)
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro
Ol'Roy Canada
Ol'Roy US
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride - Good 'n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Publix
Roche Bros
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Shep Dog
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Bros
Total Pet, My True Friend
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet



(Copyright 2007 WABC-TV)

[mlm828]

Thank you for posting this, mags!

I had no idea the list was so long. Fortunately, my finicky feline will only eat Fancy Feast, so it seems she's OK. But how sad for the animals who've become sick or died, and their people.

[maggiethecat]

And I am very happy to know that the delectable Miss Lacey is a Fancy Feast kind o' gal. Maggie will be having her first Fancy Feast for dinner tonight, but I know she'll like it. She is not about missing meals. Ever.

My heart goes out to those who have lost their beloved felines, and all through feeding them "top of the line" cat food. Iams seems to be the major culprit, and my fingers are crossed as, starting with the Kitten Food, Iams is all that Maggie has ever eaten.

[carl1951]

Re: Alive, well and still kickin' in NYC!!!!!
« Reply #21 on Today at 4:17pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now! I'm beginning to wonder.

I lost 3 pets within 12 days.

I just figured Blackie the Chihuahua died from old-age, now I wonder if it was the Mighty Dog.

Rosie died from renal failure.

Abraham was from liver cancer (but I still have to wonder)

I usually feed my cats Nine Lives, but I had bought the HyVee brand not long ago.

Later, Carl

[Colorado girl]

Carl, I am so sorry for the loss of your pets. They are so much a part of our lives. They really are part of our family. I hope they can figure out this problem very soon so nobody else has to go through what you are experiencing today.......Lindy

[shmeep]

Thanks, Mags! This is really horrifying. I saw someone getting store credit today for two bags of the same dry cat food I use (Iams). This scared me so I went to Petco and spoke with an employee there and she told me that no dry food was affected and that all the possibly contaminated food had already been removed from the shelves. I feel better now.

[shmeep]

carl1951 said:

Re: Alive, well and still kickin' in NYC!!!!!
« Reply #21 on Today at 4:17pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now! I'm beginning to wonder.

I lost 3 pets within 12 days.

I just figured Blackie the Chihuahua died from old-age, now I wonder if it was the Mighty Dog.

Rosie died from renal failure.

Abraham was from liver cancer (but I still have to wonder)

I usually feed my cats Nine Lives, but I had bought the HyVee brand not long ago.

Later, Carl

Oh Carl! That's terrible. I read about your pets the other day but I had no idea this pet food situation could be the culprit. I don't know if you will ever know for sure, but it does sound suspicious. I am so sorry for your loss.

[carl1951]

Thanks for the sentiments.

I'm asking my vet tomorrow what she might think.

Later, Carl

[mlm828]

Oh, Carl, my heart goes out to you -- losing three members of your family in such a short time. I hope your vet can be of help.

[mlm828]

maggiethecat said:

Iams seems to be the major culprit, and my fingers are crossed as, starting with the Kitten Food, Iams is all that Maggie has ever eaten.

I am also keeping my fingers crossed for Miss Maggie. According to the company's press release here: www.menufoods.com/recall/Press_Recall_03162007.pdf
only "cuts and gravy" style pet foods were affected. I hope those weren't on Maggie's menu -- and that she likes her Fancy Feast!

[mlm828]

More pet foods, this time a brand of dog food made by Purina, have been recalled. The information from the company is here.

A prescription cat food made by Hill's has also been recalled. Information about this recall is here.

[Deleted]

mlm828 said:

More pet foods, this time a brand of dog food made by Purina, have been recalled. The information from the company is here.

A prescription cat food made by Hill's has also been recalled. Information about this recall is here.

Crap - I'm going to look at it now - anything on cats re Purina?

Added: okay, my Boo-face is safe - she eats Fancy Feast but I must continue to watch. This is really scary. I'm tempted to just steam chicken for her moving forward, or just using regular Starkiss Tuna, you know? We, who have pets, have to be careful, of course, but I have to be especially careful because FatGirl has low-grade intestinal cancer.

[mlm828]

I agree -- it's a real dilemma. It's tempting to put the furballs on homemade food until we know what's safe and what isn't, but vets caution that homemade foods may not meet cats' nutritional requirements. For a cat with a pre-existing medical condition, a call to the vet may be in order.

Lacey eats Fancy Feast and seems fine. I note that one of the three varieties of FF in my cupboard does not have wheat gluten, the ingredient which is suspected as the source of the contamination. For the time being, I'm going to give her only that variety, just to be on the safe side.

[Deleted]

mlm828 said:

I agree -- it's a real dilemma. It's tempting to put the furballs on homemade food until we know what's safe and what isn't, but vets caution that homemade foods may not meet cats' nutritional requirements. For a cat with a pre-existing medical condition, a call to the vet may be in order.

Lacey eats Fancy Feast and seems fine. I note that one of the three varieties of FF in my cupboard does not have wheat gluten, the ingredient which is suspected as the source of the contamination. For the time being, I'm going to give her only that variety, just to be on the safe side.

Which one is that, Martha? FatGirl is so picky, she only likes the tuna and ocean blend (OY!)

[maggiethecat]

Gluten-free is definitely the way to go, mlm, and I never even thought to check the cans of Fancy Feast that I bought.

But the ban has now been widened to a certain kind of Science Diet DRY cat food, and new info comes out every day, and I'm getting nervous again. We are lucky enough to have a Whole Foods where I live, so Maggie is now on the Whole Foods house brand (365 Brand), both meat and chow. (Thank heavens my BFFB (Big Fat Fuzz Butt)) will eat just about anything.) Both the dry and "wet" Whole Foods products are gluten-free, no added anything, organic, you name it. I checked and the stuff is made by Whole Foods and NOT outsourced to Menu Foods.

This is so very worrying. Good luck, everyone!