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Pet Food Recall Update

We have received many phone calls and emails about the pet food recall from Menu Foods, so we wanted to proactively offer some background information that may help answer your questions. Hopefully you will find this helpful, and hopefully you will use this as the motivation to start feeding your pet a natural food if you are not already (see bottom of page for more information).

No Brands Sold by Only Natural Pet Store Are Affected

None of the natural dog or cat food sold by Only Natural Pet Store was affected by the Menu Foods recall. If you have purchased your pet's food from us, you do not need to concern yourself over the recall. If you purchased food elsewhere and you think you may be affected, please read the following section "How to Know and What to Do If You Are Affected". If you know you were not affected, but are not feeding a natural food to your pet, please read the section at the bottom called "Why You Should Feed Natural Food to Your Pet". Please note that brands like Iams, Eukanuba, and Science Diet were affected by the recall - although many people mistakenly think these are "premium" brands, they are NOT natural, as evidenced by their inclusion in this recall.

How to Know and What to Do If You Are Affected

You can find out if the food you have fed your dog or cat was part of the recall by visiting www.menufoods.com/recall. Contaminated Wheat Gluten is currently the top suspect in the Menu Foods recall. One possibility is contamination by molds or heavy metals, though tests still have not determined the exact cause.


Wheat Gluten: Wheat Gluten is sometimes used in lower quality moist pet foods (cans & pouches) as an inexpensive protein source and gravy thickener. If you have ever ventured down the aisle of the grocery store where the meat substitutes are sold, then you may have seen Seitan in the refrigerated section ? this is wheat gluten. It has a texture similar to cooked chicken meat. It is NOT a good source of protein for dogs and cats. Dogs and cats are carnivores and utilize proteins from animal sources much more efficiently than grain sources. Cats, especially, do not digest grains well. The digestion of grains creates more waste products for the animal?s system to process than it is naturally accustomed to, placing a constant stress on the organ systems.


The tainted pet foods are causing kidney failure in dogs and cats. Signs of kidney failure include:

Increased water consumption
Increased urination
Nausea & vomiting
Weight loss
Constipation
Lethargy / low energy
Loss of appetite

Kidney (Renal) Failure: The kidneys function is to filter out and excrete toxins from the body through the urine. One of the first signs of kidney failure is an increase in thirst and urination. This is why: A healthy kidney can concentrate toxins into a smaller amount of liquid to be urinated away. When the kidneys are damaged and become less able to concentrate the urine, more fluid is used by the body. As the kidneys become less efficient and the disease progresses, other signs of kidney failure begin to emerge such as weight loss, nausea, vomiting, constipation, low energy / fatigue, and poor appetite.


Diagnosis: Most animals do not show signs of kidney failure until about 70% - 75% of kidney function has been lost. In order to diagnose kidney failure and determine the extent of the disease, a blood test and urinalysis is needed. Always contact your veterinarian promptly if your animal shows signs of illness. For more information about kidney disease please see our article Dealing with Kidney Failure.


If you have fed your dog or cat any of the recalled foods, it is wise to have them tested. If the test results come back without signs of kidney failure and you are still concerned, we recommend using a detoxifier such as Newton Homeopathics Detoxifier, Animals Apawthecary Detox Blend or Only Natural Pet Blood & System Herbal Formula, and possibly a kidney tonic remedy such as Renal Essential for Dogs or Renal Essentials for Cats or the Chinese Herbal Formula Six Flavor Tea Pills.

Why You Should Feed Natural Food to Your Pet

Feeding a very high quality food is the best thing you can do for your dog or cat?s health. Please note that brands like Iams, Eukanuba, and Sciene Diet - which were all affected by the recall - are NOT healthy or natural foods. You should look for a meat-based food with no grains (for cats) or whole grains (for dogs), but without grain by-products such as wheat gluten. Grain by-products are inexpensive fillers and inferior sources of nutrition. They may make the food less expensive, but in the case of pet foods, you truly get what you pay for. For more information on choosing a top-quality pet food please see our article What You Should Know About Your Pet?s Food. If your dog or cat is diagnosed with kidney failure, please read Diet Suggestions for Kidney Problems.

Only Natural Pet Store offers a wide selection of all the leading natural foods for dogs and cats. We encourage you to look at the ingredients, where you will usually find meat (and not meat by-products) as the top ingredient, along with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and other natural ingredients. This is the type of food that your pet will thrive on.