Dry food also in recall now

[puppyluv]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/30/pet.food.recall.ap/index.html

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- Recalled pet foods contained a chemical used to make plastics, but government tests failed to confirm the presence of rat poison, federal officials said Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it found melamine in samples of the Menu Foods pet food, as well as in wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the wet-style products.

The FDA was working to rule out the possibility that the contaminated wheat gluten could have made it into any human food, but was not aware of any risk to people.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the melamine was the culprit in the deaths of more than a dozen cats and dogs and the illnesses of hundreds more, said Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. (Watch pet owner talk about her beloved dog's death )

In a news conference, FDA officials said that the apparently melamine-contaminated wheat gluten also was shipped to a company that manufactures dry pet food, but they would not name the company.

The FDA is attempting to determine if that company used any of the wheat gluten, imported from China, to make dry pet food, Sundlof said.

Wheat gluten, a source of vegetable protein, is also used in some human foods, but the FDA emphasized it had found no indication that the contaminated ingredient had been used in food for people.

The FDA said it would alert the public quickly if the melamine was found in any foods other than the recalled pet food.

Cornell University scientists also found melamine -- used to produce plastic kitchen wares and used in Asia as a fertilizer -- in the urine of sick cats, as well as in the kidney of one cat that died after eating the company's wet food.

Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of cat and dog food earlier this month after animals died of kidney failure after eating the Canadian company's products. It is not clear how many pets may have been poisoned by the apparently contaminated food, although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds if not thousands have died. The FDA alone has received more than 8,000 complaints. (Menu Foods recall information)

The new finding comes a week after scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory identified a rat poison and cancer drug called aminopterin as the likely culprit in the pet food. The FDA said it could not confirm that finding.

New York officials have detected melamine in the recalled food as well. Yet New York remained confident in its aminopterin finding, said Patrick Hooker, commissioner of the New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets. Hooker added that neither aminopterin nor melamine should be in pet food, but that it was unclear why the latter substance would be poisonous to the cats in which it was found.

"While we have no doubt that melamine is present in the recalled pet food, there is not enough known data on the mammalian toxicity levels of melamine to conclude it could cause illness and deaths in cats. With little existing data, many questions still remain as to the connection between the illnesses and what has caused them," Hooker said.

The recall involved nearly 100 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food made by Menu Foods. The recall covered products carrying names of major brand-name and private-label products sold throughout North America.

Menu Foods used wheat gluten to thicken the gravy of its pet foods, FDA officials have said.

Menu Foods spokesman Sam Bornstein did not know whether company testing had found melamine in its products. The company planned a press conference later Friday.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first reported the melamine finding in Friday's editions.

Meanwhile, animal rights advocates called on federal food safety regulators and pet food companies to expand a nationwide recall of dog and cat food to include dry varieties, claiming they make pets sick.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans to make the appeal Friday in Washington after it said it received complaints from pet owners who claim their animals suffered kidney failure after eating dry pet food.

Norfolk, Virginia-based PETA wants the FDA and the companies to extend the recall to foods that have received complaints, chemically test it and perform necropsies on the animals involved. It also wants companies prosecuted if the FDA's probe turns up wrongdoing

[MrsBeasley]

Will it ever end???
I hope they crash and burn and never produce any products ever again!!!
Pity the people that work there.

[mommahas2babies]

makes u wonder how long this has been going on since it seems to be affecting every brand now! I am seriously looking into making my own cat food now!

[adm]

FYI Regarding Nutro Natural Choice and Nutro dry dog food - Their dry dog food does not contain Wheat Gluten and is not produced by Menu Foods.
Just a breath of reassurance for anyone (including myself...) who feeds their dogs and cats Nutro dry food.

[Tara]

omg ok thanks adm, I'm at work right now having a bloody heart attack....that's what I feed my kitty but I think I might have a look at that recipe for homemade cat food :(

[babydoll2008]

i dont buy my foods anywhere else but the pet store and the only soft food they are one is whiskas and friskies and eagle pack stuff... even though the pouches of whiskas and friskies were not recalled im afraid to feed it to my cat... speaking of which can someone tell me what is wrong with him he hurt is paw and he can not walk on it it doesnt seem to be broke as he lets us touch it but he will cry until someone picks him to put him on the sink for a drink or on a chair or something.:confused:

[puppyluv]

i dont buy my foods anywhere else but the pet store and the only soft food they are one is whiskas and friskies and eagle pack stuff... even though the pouches of whiskas and friskies were not recalled im afraid to feed it to my cat... speaking of which can someone tell me what is wrong with him he hurt is paw and he can not walk on it it doesnt seem to be broke as he lets us touch it but he will cry until someone picks him to put him on the sink for a drink or on a chair or something.:confused:

take your cat to the vet..Just like you would if a little child was feeling hurt like that.

[babydoll2008]

i dont have the money for the vet bills and my vet is not in... i think he just twisted it or sprained something he could have pulled a nail to fighting

[adm]

isaintjohn (or any other public forum...) is NOT the place to get medical advice for animals or humans. Not only can you get incorrect advice, nothing replaces qualified advice from a trained professional. If you don't have the funds for a trip to the vet - phone calls are free.

Please don't rely on public forums for advice like this.

Just my two cents.

[babydoll2008]

some peoples advice are better then a vet that sometimes doesnt know anything... i know a vet who told people to give asprin to an animal that had an ulcer...yeah give something thats bleeding inside something to make it bleed more.. i dont have the money to take my cat to the vet for his injury. it is not that bad he was walking on it earlier today.. but i havent seen him since he came in. i am trying to save the money up to get him fixed and his needles Rickie fixed and needled and my horse have all his shoots to its very costly and i probably wont be able to do it.

[blondie]

sorry but a vet has about 6-7 years of university behind them..i would take their advice over some average joe..

[adm]

I dunno....I don't see what's wrong with taking advice from some stranger on the Internet who have never seen the animal before and may not even have a high school education and/or even owned a pet before - over an actual D.V.M (that stands for DOCTOR of Veterinary Medicine)...... :rolleyes: Heck, people get their kids diagnosed here all the time.

<groan>

But that's just my opinion, and I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it's what keeps the Animal Rescue League and Family & Community Services going. (I hope MY animals know how lucky they are! :cool: )

sorry but a vet has about 6-7 years of university behind them..i would take their advice over some average joe..

[babydoll2008]

Vets go to university for 4 years and do the book work they go to the clinic for another 3 -4 and do the hands on after that they have to graduate and they become a med student for 3 years.... some vets do not know anything i have seen it i have one vet and she is out on ML. my cat seems to be fine the only thing i really need is advantage my cats have fleas and i can get a tube from my friend for 10 bucks she gets it for her ferrets and such... the cat is out doors so he probably twisted it in a small hole or something hes not holding it up hes just limping around.

[MrsBeasley]

i dont buy my foods anywhere else but the pet store and the only soft food they are one is whiskas and friskies and eagle pack stuff... even though the pouches of whiskas and friskies were not recalled im afraid to feed it to my cat... speaking of which can someone tell me what is wrong with him he hurt is paw and he can not walk on it it doesnt seem to be broke as he lets us touch it but he will cry until someone picks him to put him on the sink for a drink or on a chair or something.:confused:

Funny, now weren't you just the other day in two or three other threads saying repeatedly that foods like friskies and whiskas cause Kidney stones? Yet, you feed these to to your cat? (these two foods btw are prone to causing FLUTD not Kidney stones. But who am I to try and convince you of the difference, after all I'm not a "Vet" as you put it only a lowly Animal Health Technician - NSAC class of 1995).

The only one's who would be able to diagnose the "foot problem" would be a licensed Veterinarian. Depending on what leg it it it could be any number of problems, from a pulled muscle/ligament, sprain, heavy bruising, torn ligament, luxating patella, fractured bone, piece of something imbedded in his foot, abscess and more.

The only way to determine what it could be would be to "physically examine" the animal not by how you describe what he's doing, that is only a portion of how a Vet diagnoses a condition.

How a Diagnoses is made:

1. Get the history (explanation of symptoms)
2. Examine
3. Diagnostics if necessary (x-ray, labwork, ultrasound, etc.)
4. Treatment (surgery, anitbiotics, painkillers, etc.)

If money is a concern then you may opt to skip step number 3 and move right on to 4 but chances are you might have to make repeat trips to keep changing treatments as you will only be treating symptoms and not a diagnosed condition and therefore thowing more money out the window in the long run as you are eliminating possibilities one by one.

[MrsBeasley]

Vets go to university for 4 years and do the book work they go to the clinic for another 3 -4 and do the hands on after that they have to graduate and they become a med student for 3 years.... some vets do not know anything i have seen it i have one vet and she is out on ML. my cat seems to be fine the only thing i really need is advantage my cats have fleas and i can get a tube from my friend for 10 bucks she gets it for her ferrets and such... the cat is out doors so he probably twisted it in a small hole or something hes not holding it up hes just limping around.

You have no idea!!! First they go to University for 4 years to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree, then they apply to Veterinary College Where they may or may not get in for years as only a certain number from each province are chosen. Criteria is based on their marks, and an interview (experience would also be a an asset). They then study for another 4 years and graduate. They then have to write their Board examinations (which cost them about $1000 bucks a pop) and have to get a passing grade to become a licensed veterinarian. They then go to work in whatever field they so choose. They may also continue on and specialize in certain fields.

[babydoll2008]

i feed then the SOFT food it is almost 100 % meat... the hard foods i stay away from they are the ones that cause more problems.. my boyfriend feeds his cat Chubba whiskas he showed me the bag and the whole thing was corn and his mom is to hard headed to change here food like she wont even buy the whiskas food that has meat as the first ingredient. i only have one cat that will eat soft food, and she is nursing kittens right know... I just saw my cat with the sore foot hes not limping on it i just let him in the house there for it was just twisted... if i know nothing at all like you all say maybe you should read some of the stuff Blondie is writing and if i know nothing again why does my friend asked me what she should do when she gets a sick animal. and i usually end up telling her to go to the vet and then she gets bad news and leaves the room leaving me in charge. out of 3 ferrets i came home with 1 and he is still bouncing off the walls today, i just talked to another friend of mine about her 3 ferrets and she was shocked about what i said she told me that the easiest way to cut a ferrets nails is to get someone to hold them by the scruff and cut their nails..i told her to use vitamins or vero-tone. and she was amazed. but i know nothign so what ever

[MrsBeasley]

if i know nothing at all like you all say maybe you should read some of the stuff Blondie is writing and if i know nothing again why does my friend asked me what she should do when she gets a sick animal. and i usually end up telling her to go to the vet and then she gets bad news and leaves the room leaving me in charge. out of 3 ferrets i came home with 1 and he is still bouncing off the walls today, i just talked to another friend of mine about her 3 ferrets and she was shocked about what i said she told me that the easiest way to cut a ferrets nails is to get someone to hold them by the scruff and cut their nails..i told her to use vitamins or vero-tone. and she was amazed. but i know nothign so what ever

Did I ever say you know nothing???? No. Did you call my self and a few others a bunch of #$@&*%#'s in another thread??? Yes. I'll let everyone else form their own opinions of your vast knowledge by what and how you say things.

As to why if you know nothing, and your friend always asks you what to do when she has a sick animal..... I don't know your friend therefore you'll have to ask her. Maybe.... she doesn't know anybody else.

To each his own if you want to use vitamins or vero-tone (whatever that is...I don't recognise that spelling. If you were referring to Varitone cream, I don't see how using a bitter tasting cream can help you to clip ferret nails) Then go right ahead, whatever works. Scruffing the animal works just as good and doesn't hurt the animal one bit.

Oh, and Blondie was only a couple of years off in the education thing...You had it right outta whack...

[babydoll2008]

Well thats what i was told by my vet.... and vero-tone is not anywhere close to a cream it is a supplement used to keep ferrets coats glossy and skim moist.... yeah y would i call people stuff and blondie is full of it.... my friend asks me because her mother wants her to get rid of all her animals and she knows more then me anyone would ask "what should i do" when someone or something is hurt or in trouble...like your not a vet a vet technologist or what ever you are all you do is Help out... your like a nurse you dont diagnose anything and your pretty stupid if you didnt know what vero-tone was... therefore you DONT know everything no one is perfect no one nows every little thing about animals...maybe you should read what blondies wrote in another thread basically calling animals stupid and such .

[adm]

And what do you do that makes you so self-righteous?? I mean - other than sit on isaintjohn all day and insult others in your limited grammar.

You really need to keep your opinions of others a bit more respectful.. I don't see what's wrong with being in a field where you're helping others (Human or animal nature). Have you ever been to a hospital???? The next time you visit one, remember that it's a NURSE you're spending most of your time with.

GET A GRIP!

Well thats what i was told by my vet.... and vero-tone is not anywhere close to a cream it is a supplement used to keep ferrets coats glossy and skim moist.... yeah y would i call people stuff and blondie is full of it.... my friend asks me because her mother wants her to get rid of all her animals and she knows more then me anyone would ask "what should i do" when someone or something is hurt or in trouble...like your not a vet a vet technologist or what ever you are all you do is Help out... your like a nurse you dont diagnose anything and your pretty stupid if you didnt know what vero-tone was... therefore you DONT know everything no one is perfect no one nows every little thing about animals...maybe you should read what blondies wrote in another thread basically calling animals stupid and such .

[MrsBeasley]

There's no need for name calling. I don't appreciate being called Stupid by someone who's still in highschool. Maybe you need to experience life a little more. As much as there are a few names I would call you, I have the decency not to do so on a public forum.

As for your vero-tone, I ran a search and there is no such product. There is Laxitone that is a laxative commonly used to treat hairballs in cats and there is VitaTone a supplement of essential fatty acids for ferrets. So don't call me stupid for not knowing what "vero-tone" was. If anything.....I won't go there.

I am far much more than a nurse to animals my dear. I had to study for three years to become what I do and I continue to read journal articles and go to medical conferences to stay current on things. I do all the legwork in the hospital that a doctor wouldn't do. I am the one to take the animals blood and run the tests, take the xrays, administer the drugs to keep the animals asleep for surgery, administer/monitor the anesthesia during surgery so the animal doesn't die on the table or wake up. I get the medications ready, I recover the animal after surgery, I do the dental cleanings, I put the sick animals on IV fluids. I have to assist during major surgery and sooooo much more, all the while being able to drop everything at the chance an emergency comes through the door. So don't ever think my job is simple honey it's one of the most stressful jobs out there both physically and mentally. I do all the work and get all the answers, for the vet. Without people like me the vet's would have to charge three times as much money because it would be their time spent in front of a microscope looking for disease conditions and not mine. So for you to say all I do is "help out"...I laugh at your ignorance.

I don't claim to know everything, I just know more on certain subjects (the care of animals for one) than other people, just as an engineer knows more about what they do, I wouldn't have a clue.

[adm]

Mrs Beasley - I don't think you need to defend yourself or your profession. I'm still waiting to hear what out little 'babydoll' does for a living to give her the right to act this way. What you do is very admirable and the level of education required to get there is far more than most people will ever obtain. I too lack at her ignorance.

As usual, our little doll will go silent in this forum.

...wasn't Freddy Kruger also a doll?

I am far much more than a nurse to animals my dear. I had to study for three years to become what I do and I continue to read journal articles and go to medical conferences to stay current on things. I do all the legwork in the hospital that a doctor wouldn't do. I am the one to take the animals blood and run the tests, take the xrays, administer the drugs to keep the animals asleep for surgery, administer/monitor the anesthesia during surgery so the animal doesn't die on the table or wake up. I get the medications ready, I recover the animal after surgery, I do the dental cleanings, I put the sick animals on IV fluids. I have to assist during major surgery and sooooo much more, all the while being able to drop everything at the chance an emergency comes through the door. So don't ever think my job is simple honey it's one of the most stressful jobs out there both physically and mentally. I do all the work and get all the answers, for the vet. Without people like me the vet's would have to charge three times as much money because it would be their time spent in front of a microscope looking for disease conditions and not mine. So for you to say all I do is "help out"...I laugh at your ignorance.

[MrsBeasley]

Thanks for your input adm, I appreciate someone who appreciates the hard work people like myself do. Some people done realize we do on call for emergencies, we don't get breaks during the day, hell we're lucky some days to get lunch before 3 pm.

I figured things would go silent......

Isn't it Chuckie........... who's the doll??

[Mandi]

Wow... you do all that?! I can name at least 2 doctor professions in there... That's a lot of work! Thank heavens for selfless people like you. Obviously you care a great deal to do all of that every day.

[Crissy23]

Hi everyone..
Dose anyone know if "Purina fancy feast" cat food is in recall as well.
Iv been having a heart attack hoping that the cat food iv been feeding my baby would not make her sick...
:mad:
i feed her Purina Fancy feast hard food.
then usually one can or so of fancy feast soft food
and
also she gets Whiskas temptations cat treats....:confused:

dose anyone know?
im tempted to run out and by something made around here close to home
thats made of natural products..
cant trust anything now a days can we! UGRH! makes me angry to think
we would be killing the animals we love...with the food we feed them:mad:

Thanks everyone

Crissy

[adm]

The only dry food that was recalled was as a precaution. The ingredient found to be harming the pets is in the wheat gluten product used to thicken the gravy. Your dry food is safe - rest assured. Also - any of the wet food on the shelves now is outside of the recall date and is also safe.

True - it's hard to trust anything these days, but just do what feels right.. (mine have been eating canned Tuna instead of cat food - they are loving it!!)

Hi everyone..
Dose anyone know if "Purina fancy feast" cat food is in recall as well.
Iv been having a heart attack hoping that the cat food iv been feeding my baby would not make her sick...
:mad:
i feed her Purina Fancy feast hard food.
then usually one can or so of fancy feast soft food
and
also she gets Whiskas temptations cat treats....:confused:

dose anyone know?
im tempted to run out and by something made around here close to home
thats made of natural products..
cant trust anything now a days can we! UGRH! makes me angry to think
we would be killing the animals we love...with the food we feed them:mad:

Thanks everyone

Crissy

[Crissy23]

Thanks for the quick reply.
i guess its still on the shelf,..and she seems fine..
Yet i still worry..:D...shes my baby:biggrin:

I guess ill substitute her "wet" cat food for some tuna or something,
.....cause boy dose she get angry when i withhold it from her..:rofl:

Thanks..!

Crissy

[adm]

FYI:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/04/01/recall-petfoods.html?ref=rss

[MrsBeasley]

Wow... you do all that?! I can name at least 2 doctor professions in there... That's a lot of work! Thank heavens for selfless people like you. Obviously you care a great deal to do all of that every day.

Thank you mandi for the support. We Technicians also are entitled to perform some minor surgical procedures that I will refrain from mentioning as it may freak out some people. Also we often put ourselves above the call of duty taking critters home (of which we do voluntarily) that are too critical to stay unattended in hospital. I have brought home puppies to nurse (of which I have one huge sookie-baby that I hand raised since two days old that the owner of the mother didn't want the responsibility of hand raising a litter of 8, brought home puppies sticken with parvo-virus who were too critical to stay alone in hospital, and kittens I've had to tube feed that were even too small to nurse.

Also thank you adm for the update on the food recall, although I may not recommend a lot of the brands listed on a good day from one who has studied animal nutrition, it's still good to know which foods are deemed "safe" in the case of the acute kidney failure cases so that no other animals have to suffer such a horrific end prematurely.

[Goin4Coffee]

. (http://delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html)