Posted on 03/16/2007 2:53:30 PM PDT by Dysart
WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.
An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.
"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.
Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site — http://www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.
The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies. Its three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., Henderson said.
Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.
"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.
The company alerted the
Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.
Menu Foods is majority owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.
Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.
Make sure your Mom checks Edgrr, Alice and Spot's food...
Dubya, Lucy, Mason, Mojo, Kitty, Trouble, etc. food check alert!
My cat would never eat the cuts in "gravy and cuts" or anything that was in "gravy". Maybe that's because it was from a grave.
At the end of his 18 year life, he liked chicken thighs the best. I'd broil them and debone and skin them and he loved them.
My former cat was raised on horse meat with cereal and vitamins mixed in, until I couldn't buy horse meat any more...I think they passed a law against selling it here in California.
Dubya and Lucy thank you for the alert!
They've never had this brand of food, thank goodness.
Word's getting around so everybody and their grandma is probably trying to hit the site. Their server is probably melting down.
Word's getting around so everybody and their grandma is probably trying to hit the site. Their server is probably melting down.
bump
Have you noticed any changes in your dogs since feeding Innova?
I feed my dogs the Innova Red Meat formula (dry) and feed my cats the Innova adult dry kibble.
I used to feed the dogs and one cat raw (whole prey model) but we switched to kibble last summer due to finances. What a change (for the worse). The dogs smell like dogs instead of having no smell at all, and they seem to itch alot. Their coats are not nearly as beautiful as they were, though they still have very nice coats. My one dog has goopy ears since the switch though it hasn't turned into an infection like when I first got him from the shelter.
My 9 y/o extremely healthy cat has had two ear infections since the switch, and my other cat is losing fur on and around his ears. (Speaking of fur, my dogs have this really soft, fuzzy, downy fur growing on their thighs since the switch too, which is not a bad thing, just interesting.)
Anyway, would love to hear your experiences, good or bad, with Innova.
ping for tomorrow
Bookmark.
spectre, my two dogs eat this food (Iams in the foil packets), mixed with a dry food. I have noticed for two days one of them not really wanting to eat at mealtime, which is sort of unusual for him. The numbers on the packets fall just outside the recall window, but were manufactured in one of the plants in question.
I'm just keeping a close eye on them now, and praying they're okay. : ( I'll add a little prayer for your kitty.
"I'll switch them to canned tuna until I can get them to the vet."
Don`t overdo it with the tuna because of the mercury content. If the mercury content in canned tuna is high enough to harm people, I hate to think of what it would do to a small cat.
Carolyn
I will!
Edgrr doesn't eat canned food, though.. he says it's for girls.
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/
They make about every darn can and foil pack of food for just about everyone, have a look at the lists.
I feed my dog a brand of dog food I buy at the health food store. The brand name is Solid Gold, and Gypsy gets the large-breed maintenance variety, Wolf King made with Bison and Salmon meal. They have different varieties for the different size and energy-requirements of your dogs.
After struggling, and ultimately losing, a fight with cancer of my Golden/Brittany who had eaten Science Diet exclusively, I investigated dog foods, and was horrified to find what I had really been feeding her.
Solid Gold is a little pricey, but it's human-grade ingredients, and since there are no fillers, the poop piles are a lot smaller.
My cat is on their dry cat food, and she likes it, but it hasn't improved her disposition much.
THANKS! I appreciate you helping me out with this!
Here is a link about the dangers of tuna for cats.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=450509
I don`t feed my cat any food containing tuna, or any other seafood. Cats may love fish, but seafood isn`t a part of their natural diet in the wild.
Thanks for the info- I checked the website, my dog eats the Iams dry food for older dogs so we're ok!
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