[angelee]

I found this on MSN:

Rat poison found in tainted pet food


Animal deaths have led to nationwide recall; news conference scheduled
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:08 p.m. ET March 23, 2007
ALBANY, N.Y. - Rodent poison has been found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets said Friday.

Spokeswoman Jessica Chittenden would not identify the chemical or its source beyond saying it was a rodent poison.

State agriculture officials scheduled a news conference Friday at 1 p.m. EST to release laboratory findings from tests on the pet food conducted this week.

The rat poison, which may have been used on wheat imported from China, is illegal in the U.S., NBC News correspondent Tom Costello told MSNBC TV.

The deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of "cuts and gravy" style pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been reports of kidney failure, some fatal, in pets that ate the recalled brands. The company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.

The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.

It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels like Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. Call centers hired by the company received 47,000 calls over the weekend, Henderson said.

There have been tests on 10 cats that died performed by an outside company for Menu Foods. The results show only that the cats died of acute kidney failure.

The FDA has sent investigators to New Jersey and Kansas plants operated by Menu Foods.

Wheat gluten is a source of protein and was used to thicken the gravy in the pet food, sold in both cans and pouches, according to the FDA.

Reason for recall delay
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information ? (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.

Menu Foods is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.


The company delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying, according to chief executive Paul Henderson. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.

Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins, according to the FDA.

Vet connects cases
At least one veterinarian in New Hampshire reports seeing cases of sick cats and dogs before the massive pet-food recall that she's sure are now connected.

Lee Garrod of the Portsmouth Emergency Veterinary Clinic says since the recall, she's called pet owners back and asked them what they were feeding, and the brands and codes were a match.

Garrod said her experience with local cases shows a 50 percent mortality rate for cats and dogs who became sick after they ate the food.

"I was seeing young cats that had me baffled," she said. "One woman even brought all of her house plants to be tested."

Garrod said she's seen six affected animals in Maine, one in Goffstown and 12 in Portsmouth.

"We have successfully treated half," she said, adding that the food doesn't affect every cat.

Richard Uncles, director of the Division of Regulatory Services in the state's veterinary offices, said the pet food recall is unprecedented in its scope. The division is responsible for licensing animal food products.

"I can't recall anything remotely like a recall of this magnitude," Uncles said. "There are so many brands involved. We were in a conference call with the Food and Drug Administration, and there are as many unanswered questions as answered ones. ... What is difficult is trying to pinpoint the source, and the recall is unusually broad, including private packers, producers of many house brands and store label brands."

Garrod said anyone who thinks their pet may have eaten the food should bring it in to have the pet's kidneys and urine tested.