Important Links and Updates Regarding the Recall

New York State veterinary health investigators announced yesterday that the cause of the kidney failure in companion animals who had eaten contaminated pet food manufactured by Menu Foods was a poison called Aminopterin, a rat poison. Some veterinarians are skeptical, but Donald Smith, the dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says that the chemical can indeed cause kidney failure in digs and cats. Here’s a link to the ABC News story.

If your dog or cat is exhibiting the following signs, you should seek the opinion of a veterinarian immediately:

Uncharacteristic lethargy

Severe loss of appetite

Vomiting

Profound changes in eating and drinking

Increased urination

If you have been feeding your dog or cat one or more of the products that have been recalled, you should contact your veterinarian and arrange for tests to see if your pet's health has been affected. Pets will not always exhibit signs of kidney damage, so it is best to have them screened for potential problems.

For a complete list of the cat products affected by the recall, please click here.

For a complete list of the dog products affected by the recall, please click here.

Also, here is Tree House’s statement on the matter from our Executive Director Dave DeFuniak. There are links to the FDA and AVMA, as well as a helpful website on feline nutrition after the statement:

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People are fearing for their pets’ lives with the recent recall of certain cat and dog foods. The recall stems from approximately ten reports of cat and dog deaths which were linked to the consumption of certain brands of canned or pouch cat and dog food. The recall includes over 50 brands of dog food, and 40 brands of cat food, sold in the “cuts and gravy” flavors. The contamination was traced back to a Menu Foods plant in Kansas, which is a manufacturer for nearly 100 cat and dog food distributors across the country. Wheat gluten, which is a protein source used to thicken the gravy in these foods, is suspected to be the contaminating ingredient.

Cats and dogs who have eaten contaminated foods will most likely display symptoms of kidney disease. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) advises cat and dog guardians to look for “signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption and also changes in urination.
These signs may also occur with other illnesses. Anybody who has a pet that exhibits these signs should take the animal to a veterinarian.”

According to the Federal Drug Administration, “Menu Foods voluntarily recalled the products after learning of complaints of vomiting and renal failure in dogs and cats following their consumption of product produced between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. Menu Foods is notifying its customers by telephone and mail and is arranging for the return of all recalled products.”

For the extensive list of Menu Foods products manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007, please go to www.menufoods/recall