Saturday, March 31, 2007

DEL MONTE Pulls TREATS and WET Dog Food - Includes POUNCE cat treats

Shocking even me by their timing, Del Monte announces a recall at 7pm Saturday night. Looks like the FDA didn't manage to inform them until this morning.

I will once again update the Pet Food Tracker - as soon as I get back from the store.

Del Monte Pet Products Voluntarily Withdraws Specific Product Codes of Pet Treats and Wet Dog Food Products

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As a precautionary measure, Del Monte Pet Products is voluntarily recalling select product codes of its pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train® Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands. A complete list of affected brands and products is below.

The Company took this voluntary recall action immediately after learning this morning from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied to Del Monte Pet Products from a specific manufacturing facility in China contained melamine. Melamine is a substance not approved for use in food. The FDA made this finding as part of its ongoing investigation into the recent pet food recall.

The adulteration occurred in a limited production quantity on select product codes of the brands below. This recall removes all Del Monte pet products with wheat gluten procured from this manufacturing facility from retail shelves.

No other Del Monte Pet Products treats, biscuits or wet dog food products are impacted by this recall, and no Del Monte dry cat food, dry dog food, wet cat food or pouched pet foods are subject to this voluntary recall. The affected products comprise less than one-tenth of one percent of Del Monte Pet Products annual pet food and pet treat production.

Del Monte Pet Products has proactively engaged and fully cooperated with the FDA since the start of its investigation. The adulterated ingredients were used in limited production over the last three months for those items identified by specific product codes. Del Monte Pet Products has not used wheat gluten from this manufacturing facility in China in any other pet products except those described below.

Consumers should discontinue feeding the products with the Product Codes detailed below to their pets.

Del Monte Pet Products are 100% guaranteed and all returned product will be refunded.

Del Monte Pet Products customers can visit our website (www.delmonte.com) or contact our Consumer Hotline at (800) 949-3799 for further information about the recall and for instructions on obtaining a product refund.

...

As part of the pet community, we value the health and well-being of pets, and we deeply regret this unfortunate situation. We will continue to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the quality and safety of our products.

The Pet Food Institute and their Members

Part of the problem... the Pet Food Institute

Since 1958, the Pet Food Institute has been the voice of U.S. pet food manufacturers. PFI is the industry's public education and media relations resource, representative before the U.S. Congress and state and federal agencies, organizer of seminars and educational programs, and liaison with other organizations. PFI represents the manufacturers of 97 percent of all dog and cat food produced in the United States.

PFI is dedicated to:

  • Promoting the overall care and well-being of pets.
  • Supporting initiatives to advance the quality of dog and cat food.
  • Supporting research in pet nutrition and the important role of pets in our society.
  • Informing and educating the public on pet proper feeding and pet care.
  • Representing the pet food industry before Federal and State governments.
Who are the members? Click on the links for Company and Contact information!
Active Members - makers of dry, canned, and semi-moist dog and cat foods and treats for dogs and cats. Click here for a list of Active Member webpages.

Affiliate Members - suppliers of ingredients, equipment, and services to the pet food industry. Click here for a list of Affiliate Members websites

A lot of people have a lot at stake. Don't mistake them for being on the side of pets or pet health, take a look at their March 23rd press release - almost exactly what Menu Foods said. (Trust us while we kill your pets.) Um, no thanks.


The industry, the problem, the background : not sure where they've been in all this, but some good info here:
From API (Animal Protection Institute)

What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.

The Players

The pet food market has been dominated in the last few years by the acquisition of big companies by even bigger companies. With $15 billion a year at stake in the U.S. and rapidly expanding foreign markets, it’s no wonder that some are greedy for a larger piece of the pie.

  • NestlĂ©’s bought Purina to form NestlĂ© Purina Petcare Company (Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies, Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, One, ProPlan, DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina Veterinary Diets).
  • Del Monte gobbled up Heinz (MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles ’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s Recipe, and pet treats Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages, Pounce).
  • MasterFoods owns Mars, Inc., which consumed Royal Canin (Pedigree, Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe, Sensible Choice, Excel).

Other major pet food makers are not best known for pet care, although many of their household and personal care products do use ingredients derived from animal by-products:

  • Procter and Gamble (P&G) purchased The Iams Company (Iams, Eukanuba) in 1999. P&G shortly thereafter introduced Iams into grocery stores, where it did very well.
  • Colgate-Palmolive bought Hill’s Science Diet (founded in 1939) in 1976 (Hill’s Science Diet, Prescription Diets, Nature’s Best).

Private labelers (who make food for “house” brands like Kroger and Wal-Mart) and co-packers (who produce food for other pet food makers) are also major players. Three major companies are Doane Pet Care, Diamond, and Menu Foods; they produce food for dozens of private label and brand names. Interestingly, all 3 of these companies have been involved in pet food recalls that sickened or killed many pets.

Many major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of gigantic multinational corporations. From a business standpoint, pet food fits very well with companies making human products. The multinationals have increased bulk-purchasing power; those that make human food products have a captive market in which to capitalize on their waste products; and pet food divisions have a more reliable capital base and, in many cases, a convenient source of ingredients.

The Pet Food Institute — the trade association of pet food manufacturers —has acknowledged the use of by-products in pet foods as additional income for processors and farmers: “The growth of the pet food industry not only provided pet owners with better foods for their pets, but also created profitable additional markets for American farm products and for the byproducts of the meat packing, poultry, and other food industries which prepare food for human consumption.”

Recalled Pet Food Tracker - National Brands Updated 3-31

***For the Pet Food Trackers (there are 2 now) please go to http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/***




The Recalled Pet Food Tracker for National Brands has been updated:

http://localhostr.com/files/4de1dee70dc78a2630e9.pdf

***Updated March 31, 2007***

Foods Added:

  • Alpo cans (3-30)
  • Hills Prescription m/d DRY Cat Food (3-30)

Information Added/Changed:

  • Parent Company information has been added next to each brand
  • Brands are listed by order of Parent Company, so are in a different order
  • Page numbers
This is a summary (PDF file) of the pet foods recalled by 5 of the most commonly found National Brands (Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Nutro, Mighty Dog) . (Other brands will be added soon... in the meantime make sure to check http://www.menufoods.com/recall/ for brands not yet listed here.) The summary is 5 pages, and includes FDA contact information for every state.

Take this into stores to make sure products are not still on the shelves. If they are, call the FDA (phone numbers included). Then contact your local media.

Clicking on the link will open the file for easy printing, right click on the link to open in a new window.

Another recall: Alpo Prime Chunks in Gravy

I was looking at the Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy cans last night at CVS, and told the store manager they would be next to be recalled.

If for some reason you’re still feeding your pets canned food by any of these companies, at least stop feeding any ‘gravy’ varieties.

Here's the release (released at MIDNIGHT!!! These companies are out. of. control. )

Nestle Purina PetCare Company today announced it is voluntarily recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO(R) Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. The Company is taking this voluntary action after learning today that wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, was provided to Purina by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods. The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina's 17 pet food manufacturing facilities.

I couldn't agree more with what Itchmo said, especially the stuff in red:

The FDA announcement stated that one other manufacturer received the same wheat gluten. After the Hills announcement, and now Purina, we would like to know who else is using this tainted wheat gluten. And for the love of our pets, pet food companies, please speak up now to save our pets’ lives. FDA, do you even know who is using this food?

It’s like a cancer that is spreading.

*Sarcasm* Purina, thanks for releasing your news in such a timely fashion — especially doing it in the middle of the night. We appreciate you taking the time to do it on the 2 week anniversary of the Menu Foods recall. How thoughtful. We would like you to know that the Official Pet of Itchmo will be tossing out his Purina ProPlan food.

...

P.S. Hours after this posting, the FDA site still did not have this news listed. (3/31 4 am EDT)

Friday, March 30, 2007

Menu Foods - more lies

paul henderson does it again. Shows his belief that we are all stupid. Um, nope, not gonna trust a word you say. (Lack of caps on his name to show my disdain for the man.)

To quote one of my favorite characters on TV (Matlock) - JACKASS.

Here's what he and Menu Foods had to say for themselves today. (right click on the link to open it in a new window so you can come back here afterwards and read more.)

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/070330E%20Opening%20Statement%20-%20March%2030%202007.htm

If you're not angry yet, read this, and the things they had to say for themselves 9 days ago. http://playingbig.blogspot.com/2007/03/pet-food-recall-menu-foods-president.html


Note to readers: sensing a bit more emotion in my posts today? Yep, that's right. You are. Even after getting away from it for awhile and watching 10 episodes of Heroes yesterday I'm angry all over again today. And I'm okay with that.

I figured out some tools to manage the anger, rather than having it manage me. I'll post some helpful tips on that later today or tomorrow, including an audio you can listen to if you're furious and need a break from it.

as for paul henderson - we're in it for the long haul. And we will see you prosecuted for criminal charges before this story is over.

FDA Press Conference - more Partial Truths

FDA reports more partial truths. News media stop coverage mid-stream. Menu Foods announces another Friday press conference - for News Media with credentials only.

And this is only the beginning.

We now know melamine has been found in wheat gluten. We now know this SAME wheat gluten was shipped to (at least) one manufacturer of DRY pet food.

FDA won't release the name. Um, Hello FDA - we have a right to know NOW. You really don't want to mess with pet lovers.

Apparently this manufacturer is so behind-the-times that they don't know whether they've used any of it yet in pet food. Um, I don't believe you. You're LYING.

So take note.

To: Menu Foods, the FDA, Pet Food Manufacturers, and assorted huge conglomerates that make pet food.

From: Me, and hundreds of thousands of pet owners

You're LYING and we know it. We're not stupid. And we're pissed. And we're grieving. You made a mistake thinking this would blow over. You severely underestimated the nature of our love for our pets. We will find the truth, and we will make you pay.

Some of us will do it the 'light / love-based' way - by focusing on our pets and by taking our business to organic pet food manufacturers or making their food ourselves.

Some of us will do it the 'dark / fear-based ' way - by legal action and protests and boycotts and pushing for congressional hearings and criminal prosecution. Just wanna repeat that last one - CRIMINAL prosecution. Because that's what you are. Heartless CRIMINALs.

Me? What camp will I be in? I'll be in both.
Light - because I have to maintain that energy - it's who I am. And because I will go crazy if I totally give in to the anger I feel at you.

Dark - because that's all you'll notice. And because I've got enough anger at you for 40 lifetimes.


For all the coverage you need on today's news, see http://www.petconnection.com/blog/.

I'll add links and quotes later. One you must see now though, because it is absolutely chilling:

In an FDA press conference this morning, a reporter asked the FDA’s Dr. Stephen Sundlof if people could be feeding unsafe food to their pets right now, because the FDA won’t reveal the name of a company - that makes dry “kibbled” food as well as “wet” pet food - that received wheat gluten from the same source Menu did.

The response? “It is possible, but I think we’ve been following every lead that we can. My sense is that we have gotten most of it under control.”

You're LYING. And you're WRONG.


And you should see this one right away too.

Karen Roebuck of the Pittsburg Tribune-Review, who broke the story earlier this morning that melamine, not aminopterin, had been found in the tested foods, asked if any of the wheat gluten had found its way into the human food supply.

The response: “At this point we are not aware that any of that went into human food.” They do know the company that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten, and are tracking its shipments, but they aren’t disclosing the name of the company.

They are, however, doing “100 percent review and sampling of all wheat gluten from China.”





Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Dry Food Illness/Death Numbers Reported by Itchmo

After just a few days of collecting reports of dry food illnesses and deaths, itchmo has reported the results.

Is it 'proof'? Maybe not. But it sure as hell convinces me.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328

Number of Specific Cat Food Brand Reported:

Iams: 17
Purina: 6
Science Diet: 5
Nutro: 4
Special Kitty: 3
Royal Canin: 1

Number of Specific Dog Food Brand Reported:

Iams: 21
Nutro: 14
Ol’Roy: 5
Science Diet: 4
Eukanuba: 2
Pedigree: 2
Purina: 2
Authority: 1
Beneful: 1
Natural Balance: 1
Trader Joe’s: 1

Recalled Pet Food Tracker - National Brands Available Now

First project - DONE.

This is a summary (PDF file) of the pet foods recalled by 5 of the most commonly found National Brands (Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Nutro, Mighty Dog) . (Other brands will be added soon... in the meantime make sure to check http://www.menufoods.com/recall/ for brands not yet listed here.) The summary is 4 pages, and includes FDA contact information for every state.

Take this into stores to make sure products are not still on the shelves. If they are, call the FDA (phone numbers included). Then contact your local media.

If the media won't do it, and the manufacturers won't do it, and the retailers won't do it, we need to check store shelves ourselves!

Clicking on this link will open the file for easy printing, right click on the link to open in a new window.

http://localhostr.com/files/3c87768e1d1c3ac43614.pdf

NEXT Project: Pet Food Tracker for Premium Natural and/or Organic Brands that have nothing to do with Menu Foods

(www.petfoodtracker.com and www.petfoodtracker.blogspot.com coming soon)


2,237 deceased pets, still just the tip...

This morning from the PetConnection database (8:30 a.m. PT): 2,237 deceased pets (1,257 cats, 980 dogs). These are self-reported numbers, as you all know by now.
Why do I say it's still just the tip? Because none of the agencies involved in this seem to know what they're doing. Tragically, because of this, the numbers reported to the press are low, the numbers they report are low, so the story isn't covered the way it should be. Hasn't been from day one and still isn't.

Cats and dogs are dying unnecessarily this week because these agencies don't have their shit together. This cannot happen again.

Petconnection.com discusses this today, and calls for action. (Most bold and highlighting in red is mine)

Throughout the unfolding pet-food crisis, the vetcetera blog has provided the necessary counterpoint to what we’ve been reporting here on Pet Connection. In thoughtful, well-reasoned posts, that blog (written by a veterinary practice manager whose wife is a board-certified feline specialist) has looked at what we were doing and questioned the good and the not-so-good of it. His contributions have been valuable, especially his evaluation of what our PetConnection database of self-reported numbers really means.

This story has always been about the numbers. It is the nature of business to downplay bad news, and the nature of government to proceed with bureaucratic caution. But when thousands of pets are being sickened and killed, the need for the swift sharing of information is essential.

We were told early on that sick and dead pets should be reported to the FDA. Next, we were told that they should be reported to the FDA and that veterinarians should report to their respective State Veterinarians, who would then report to the FDA.

How well did that work?

Anyone who called the FDA directly knows how hard it was to get through. So what about the veterinarians who tried to report to the state?

Breaking truly new reporting ground — OK, we’re a little in awe, and wish we’d thought of it — vetcetera looked at the actions of the State Veterinarian in each state. And found, in most cases, they were in full-on Heckuva Job, Brownie mode. In other words, they made the FDA look good by comparison. With the notable exceptions of Oregon and Georgia, few states made much effort to share critical information, to let veterinarians know they should report in, or to take reports volunteered by veterinarians.

This is beyond scandalous. Getting and sharing this kind of information is a serious issue of national security. Veterinarians are a critical component of the public-health system. Even if you don’t care about animals, you ought to care about the ability of veterinarians to be part of a system that reports developing problems with animal health.

Because, well, some of those problems can quickly become human problems. Anyone ever hear of Bird Flu?

We must push for a national system to for the rapid two-way sharing of information on a health crisis among our animals.

Today, call or write (don’t e-mail — they bat those away like gnats) your elected representatives at the state and national level and demand a system be put in place.


Okay, you all catch that Bird Flu reference? If this situation doesn't already scare you, it should.

And maybe "Bird Flu" is the magic phrase needed to get this situation handled better.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Science Diet Withdraws ALL Products made by Menu Foods

Good to see them do this. They've only added 3 oz cans to the list, but it's a step. Another company steps up...

http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_en_US.htm

Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Announces An Update On The Voluntary Participation in Menu Foods' Nationwide U.S. recall of Specific Canned Cat Foods.

Topeka, Kansas (March 27, 2007) - As you know, Hill's makes all of its products with an overriding commitment to the health and well-being of pets. With this in mind, on March 21 we notified you of our decision to issue a voluntary precautionary recall of a very small number of canned cat food products in the United States that were manufactured by Menu Foods, which had announced a recall. This involved a very small portion of Hill's total product line.

To ensure that our customers continue to have absolute confidence in all of Hill's products, Hill's has decided to voluntarily withdraw from the market all Science Diet® Savory Cuts® Feline products.

THESE ARE THE ONLY PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY MENU FOODS FOR HILLS PET NUTRITION. NO OTHER HILL'S SCIENCE DIET PRODUCTS AND NO PRESCRIPTION DIET PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED.

ASPCA: Likely to be more than one cause

From my post last Friday

"My first thought: I've seen reports online by vets based on their own tests and autopsies that seemed to indicate a different/additional cause. I still believe there will be more bad information to come."

I didn't want to be right on this one.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_032707_2

NEW YORK, March 27, 2007—Since Menu Foods announced its massive pet food recall on March 16, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has been flooded with calls from concerned pet parents and animal welfare professionals alike. Call volume at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), which is based in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill., has increased significantly over the past 10 days—approximately 14 percent—and the ASPCA’s veterinary toxicologists have been carefully analyzing data from these calls.

Today the ASPCA reports that, based on these data, clinical signs reported in cats affected by the contaminated foods are not fully consistent with the ingestion of rat poison containing aminopterin that, according to Menu Foods, is at the “root” of the contamination issue.

“We’ve seen reports coming in from all around the country that animals that were eating the contaminated foods are definitely suffering from renal failure,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Midwest Office, including the APCC. “But the data that we’ve been collecting do not conclusively prove this connection, which is why we strongly recommend that those involved in the investigation continue to search for additional contaminants.”

Dr. Hansen continued, “Aminopterin has been used to treat cancer in people, since it is able to disrupt rapidly-growing cells. In animals, it should result in effects that mimic this function, and these include bloody diarrhea, bone marrow suppression, abortion and birth defects. Further, renal damage—which has been seen in the affected animals—can occur at high doses.

“However, to be consistent with the effects of aminopterin, we should also be seeing a significant number of affected pets showing the accompanying signs of severe intestinal damage, as well as bone marrow suppression, including ‘leukopenia,’ which is a serious reduction in white blood cells.

“This is the missing connection that we want to alert veterinarians around the country to. We are asking all veterinarians treating cats affected by these products, to report their findings to the U. S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).”

Although Menu Foods announced last week that aminopterin was at the “root” of the contamination issue, the FDA, the agency leading this investigation, has not corroborated this finding.

“There are so many inconsistencies in the purported link between aminopterin and the animals affected, that we urge veterinary toxicologists and veterinary pathologists at diagnostic laboratories to continue looking for additional contaminants,” said Dr. Hansen. “Only continued rigorous testing will uncover the real reason or reasons for this crisis among our pet population.”

The ASPCA strongly recommends that pet parents should have their pet examined by their veterinarian if any signs of illness occur following consumption of the recalled foods, including loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption or changes in urination.

Adverse effects or deaths of pets conclusively linked to eating the contaminated foods should be reported to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

Additionally, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has a wealth of resources at http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/default.asp.

LA Times, now AP Finally pick up the real story

Finally. Our exhaustive efforts over the past 48 hours paid off.

Now we can turn our attention back to the next thing - getting the poisoned recalled food off the shelves.

I'll have something posted back here later today that will make it easier to check shelves in your area.

Monday, March 26, 2007

EMAIL the AP - It's time to report the REAL numbers!

UPDATE: Well, looks like AP Reporter Mark Johnson didn't see fit to include any new information after all. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/26/ny_state_lab_doing_further_testing_of_tainted_pet_food/

So, back to contacting the AP. Here's a link to the Names, phone numbers and email addresses of every AP Bureau Chief - one for each state. It's on the AP website... happy typing and calling.

http://www.ap.org/media/pdf/CoBContactList_08.08.pdf

Added at 12:00pm MT: I heard back from the reporter, forwarded that information to petconnection.com and now understand from them that Dr. Becker is in touch with AP members and is working with them so they are able to present the full story.

Added at 10:21am MT: I just emailed the AP Reporter who wrote the article my local paper ran on Saturday. I also emailed the New York City and Albany AP Bureau Chiefs. I'll keep you updated... If USA Today can report the full story, why can't the AP?


The AP and other media are still not reporting the real numbers. It's time to change that. Here's my email to them, feel free to copy it. It's not the best I can do, but it's the best I can do right now. (Note: I left out any 'quote' formatting so it's less likely to turn to gibberish when you cut and paste.)

Once you send it to the AP, go into your Sent Items folder, and forward it to your local News Media. See below for what I said.
+++++++++++++++++

To: AP info@ap.org

Every day I watch the news and wait for the AP to issue a report that has something other than the carefully manipulated numbers presented by Menu Foods.

Why are you not reporting these numbers? I am losing more faith in your service every day, as are thousands of pet owners who ARE aware of the magnitude of this story.

And because the AP is not reporting the correct numbers, the following is happening, as reported on petconnection.com

"This afternoon, we got an e-mail from a person in the news
department of a radio station, who pointed out to his boss that
other media — such as USA Today and ABC NewsClick to view image —
have been reporting a potentially much higher death rate, and asked
to change the AP's "rip-and-read" radio copy. He was told he could
not, and until the AP decides to do more than parrot the FDA line,
the story will remain largely under-reported. That means it will
soon die."

If you love a cat or a dog, please read the following, go to the petconnection.com blog and then report the real story!

BEGIN FULL TEXT OF Latest entry at http://www.petconnection.com/blog/

The Associated Press continues to report 16 dead pets, without even mentioning the possibility that there are hundreds if not thousands more. So does Newsweek, in this otherwise excellent piece on how to feed pets, featuring the esteemed Dr. Tony Buffington of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

So far, both the Animal Medical Center (the “Mayo Clinic” of veterinary hospitals) and Banfield The Pet Hospital, with more than 600 locations all connected by a central database, have both gone on the record saying there could be thousands of pets sickened or killed by recalled food.

So what’s up, AP?

This afternoon, we got an e-mail from a person in the news department of a radio station, who pointed out to his boss that other media — such as USA Today and ABC News — have been reporting a potentially much higher death rate, and asked to change the AP’s “rip-and-read” radio copy. He was told he could not, and until the AP decides to do more than parrot the FDA line, the story will remain largely under-reported. That means it will soon die.

From tomorrow’s edition of USA Today, now up on its Web site:

The Food and Drug Administration has received more than 4,400 calls from pet owners about the recalled, contaminated dog and cat food that has reportedly sickened and injured animals across the USA.

But the agency has yet to follow up on the calls, so it doesn’t know how many represent sick animals or simply concerned owners, says Stephen Sundlof, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Many pet owners are questioning the reported number of animals that have died from consuming contaminated pet food found in some of the more than 60 million recalled cans and pouches.

Menu Foods, which produced the food, has listed 16 deaths: 15 cats and one dog. The FDA is listing only 14 confirmed dead.

[…]

There are still questions about how many animals have died. With no national reporting system for animal injury or death, official numbers are impossible to come by.

However, data from the nation’s largest chain of pet hospitals, Banfield, suggest it is as high as hundreds a week during the three months the food was on the market.

During that time, the more than 600 Banfield hospitals in 43 states saw 200 to 250 cases of kidney failure in cats above the usual number that would have been expected, says Hugh Lewis, president of Data Savant, Banfield’s data collection arm.

During that period, Banfield vets saw 100,000 cats. Extrapolating to the entire cat population of the USA, that could mean “we’re probably talking several hundred cats a week across the country being affected,” Lewis says.

Our self-reported database, by the way, is now reporting 1,716 dead pets as of 9 p.m. PT.

I honestly have to wonder: Would the Associated Press accept only official government information if the deaths were people? Is this because these are “just pets”?

As long as the AP continues to report only 15 dead pets, the story will not be taken seriously. And that means there will be little interest in changes.

Report your pet’s loss to the FDA. Also, ask your veterinarian to report your pet’s loss to the state veterinarian for reporting to the FDA. Additionally, if your pet has eaten one of the recalled foods and become sick, add your pet to our database.

And yes, Menu Foods has now recalled all of its previously recalled labels, regardless of manufacturing date. Here’s a longer explanation of why, from the American Veterinary Medical Association. The AVMA says it’s not because foods beyond the recall range are suspected of being tainted, but because it’s easier to pull entire brands off the shelves instead of checking each can or pouch. In any case: Don’t buy or feed these brands, regardless of manufacture date.

Bottom line: We want your pet to be counted, everywhere. And we want your pet’s death to count for something, in hopes that in realizing the true scope of the problem changes will be made so something like this is less likely to happen again.

END FULL TEXT OF Latest entry at http://www.petconnection.com/blog/

++++++++++++++++++++++

Forward to Local Media:

On the Pet Food Recall…

I’ve been staying on top of this story since the beginning, and would really like to see more complete coverage in the (insert name of your local media here). The scope of this is much larger than the AP or any agency has reported. See my email to the AP below. The numbers of deaths is already in the thousands.

Probably the best site for you to get the real information is www.petconnection.com/blog Their most recent entry is pasted below in the email to the AP.


Sunday, March 25, 2007

Recalled Food Still on Shelves? Let me know about it here

I saw this yesterday at PETCO, and again today at Walgreens. Recalled food sitting on the shelves, and the managers pleading ignorance.

Have you found recalled products at a retailer in your area? Post a comment here or Click Here to Email me with the details. Include the Retailer name, city, and if possible the products found.

These Products should not be on shelves (I'll add the flavors soon. For now, right click on the links to open up a separate window)

Mighty Dog
All 5.3 ounce Pouches recalled

Hill's Science Diet CAT
5 Savory Cuts Feline canned products

Nutro CAT:
19 Cat Pouch Products

Nutro DOG:
6 Pouch Products
16 12.5oz Canned Products

Iams CAT:
12 Select Bites 3 oz Pouches
8 Cat Slices and Flakes in Cans, both 3 and 6 oz

Iams DOG:
10 Select Bites 5.3 oz Pouches
4 Small Bites 6 oz Cans
9 Chunks 13.2 oz Cans

Eukanuba CAT
8 Morsels in Gravy 3 oz Pouches
5 Cat Cuts and Flaked in 3 oz Cans

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Pet Lover ill after eating recalled food - Canada

It was just a matter of time. I'm actually glad to see this story - maybe even more people/companies will take this seriously now.

From the Montreal Gazette:

An Ottawa woman is recovering after eating dog food and then becoming violently ill, in a case possibly related to the rat-poison-laced pet food that has killed 14 dogs and cats and sickened dozens more across North America.

Elaine Larabie said yesterday she ate some dog food last week in an effort to convince her terrier, Missy, to do the same.

Soon afterward, both Larabie and Missy found themselves in the hospital - Larabie at an after-hours emergency room, and Missy at Ottawa's Alta Vista Animal Hospital.