Pet deaths prompt recall of pet food

AP via Yahoo! ^ | 3-16-07 | ANDREW BRIDGES

[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.

[chessplayer]

"the poop piles are a lot smaller."

Thats a good sign of a higher quality pet food.

[Daffynition]

The links are working this morning. [bump]

[spectre]

Recalled Cat Product Information     Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Good n Meaty
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Main Choice
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Paws
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Sophistacat
Special Kitty
Springfield Pride
Sprout
Total Pet, My True Friend
Wegmans
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie

Sorry for the format...my web TV is limited..If someone could please POST the complete list..for Dogs and redo this list, it would help..

sw

sw

[Milwaukee_Guy]

The list is now up. This appears to be a -huge- recall affecting -many- brands. I'm pasting both the cat and dog food list. Click on the link to follow individual brand links which will open into a MS Excel spreadsheet that will have complete UPC and date codes.

Read it and weep!

Cat List

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html

Recalled Cat Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Good n Meaty
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Main Choice
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Paws
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Sophistacat
Special Kitty
Springfield Pride
Sprout
Total Pet, My True Friend
Wegmans
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie

Dog List

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html

Recalled Dog Product Information

Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Key Food
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Main Choice
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro
Ol'Roy
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority
Publix
Roche Bros
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Springsfield Pride
Sprout
Stater Bros
Total Pet, My True Friend
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Hi Spectre.
Please take your Kitty to the vet.Special Kitty is one of the brands that are being recalled I don't know about Fancy Feast.

[Daffynition]

Recalled Cat Product Information     Recall Information 1-866-895-2708 Americas Choice, Preferred Pets Authority Best Choice Companion Compliments Demoulas Market Basket Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog Food Lion Foodtown Giant Companion Good n Meaty Hannaford Hill Country Fare Hy-Vee Key Food Laura Lynn Li'l Red Loving Meals Main Choice Nutriplan Nutro Max Gourmet Classics Nutro Natural Choice Paws Presidents Choice Price Chopper Priority Save-A-Lot Schnucks Sophistacat Special Kitty Springfield Pride Sprout Total Pet, My True Friend Wegmans Western Family White Rose Winn Dixie

Recalled Dog Product Information     Recall Information 1-866-895-2708 Americas Choice, Preferred Pets Authority Award Best Choice Big Bet Big Red Bloom Bruiser Cadillac Companion Demoulas Market Basket Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog Food Lion Giant Companion Great Choice Hannaford Hill Country Fare Hy-Vee Key Food Laura Lynn Loving Meals Main Choice Mixables Nutriplan Nutro Max Nutro Natural Choice Nutro Ol'Roy Paws Pet Essentials Pet Pride Presidents Choice Price Chopper Priority Publix Roche Bros Save-A-Lot Schnucks Springsfield Pride Sprout Stater Bros Total Pet, My True Friend Western Family White Rose Winn Dixie Your Pet

[Milwaukee_Guy]

As feared, the Aldi's "Fine Feline" is on the list.

I am going to check with Aldi's for refund information. I keep my receipts to balance the debit card.

[spectre]

Good job..guys.

I feed my Kitty 4 of the Special Kitty packs a day.. He ate just a few bites of the food and licks the "poison" gravey.

My pet trusted ME to feed him right...just damn.

sw

[Mrs.Nooseman]

When we first got our Kitty 8 years ago I fed him Special Kitty, until my hubby came home with Friskies one day.The cat wouldn't touch Special Kitty after that.
I am sure glad now that hubby started buying Friskies.

[Milwaukee_Guy]

Both of our cats would just lick the gravy and walk away.

I have -never- seen a cat refuse canned tuna and tried that yesterday and also this morning as a test.

They both gobbled it down and seem much happier now. They were both throwing up, drinking alot of water and rather lethargic.

Don't feed cats canned tuna on a regular basis however!

[Roses0508]

Our dog never had digestive upsets - but did last week - I just realized the DH had given him a can of Ol'Roy that day as a treat. We usually feed on dry food and leftovers. He (the dog) considers dog food emergency rations - what you eat when you can't get people food.

I'm going to throw out the cans of Ol'Roy right now.

[MizSterious]

We feed Lucie twice a day--morning and evening--and I put down the canned food without kibbles for both of those to make sure she eats. If she doesn't eat, I don't give her insulin until she does. It's rare, though, that she doesn't eat. She's been on insulin now for a little over six years, and seems to be doing fine.

[gruffwolf]

All of these sites have great information about dog food and their ingredients. When you start looking at the "super-premium" foods it just becomes a matter of picking one and seeing if your dog likes the taste.

I started using Nature's Variety because it has a bunch of different flavors and one of the specialty pet stores nearby always has it in stock. I don't think it's any better than some of the others people have mentioned it is just the one I picked.

Some of the stores have an auto-ship option so you never have to worry about going out to pick-up food (and there is usually a discount when you set up an account).

Also, if you choose to go the BARF route, there companies that sell pre-packaged raw food.

http://www.feedmypet.com/dog-food-comparison.html

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main

http://www.iei.net/%7Eebreeden/kibble.html

[Dysart]

Thanks for getting up early, at least earlier I, and posting the recalled products. This scope of this is greater than I believed... hope everyone's dogs and cats are okay.

[Dustbunny]

Thanks for posting the list. None of the brands we feed are on the list.

[Churchillspirit]

Could you tell us what brand(s) you buy.

[Churchillspirit]

Thanks for the links.

Could hardly read the list of suspect brands in case I have been giving one to my kitties. Luckily not.

[Churchillspirit]

Cute picture.

One of my cats joins us at the dinner table. He just sits there while we eat. Hoping for scraps no doubt - which he does not get.

He is cute though - and we do include him in the conversation!.

[fanfan]

Canada ping.

Please send me a FReepmail to get on or off this Canada ping list.

[grey_whiskers]

Please give me the names of the brands you prefer: your articles did not give any brand names that I could see.

...and I thought Science Diet was good, maybe I'll have to re-think that.

Cheers!