Bradfordville Animal Hospital

IMPORTANT NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT - (scroll down for more articles)

PET FOOD RECALL Latest News: 04/21/07

The latest expansion of the pet food recall occurred early yesterday when a San Francisco distributor, Wilbur-Ellis Co., recalled 181 metric tons of rice protein concentrate after it tested positive for melamine.
The concentrate came from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Wilbur-Ellis Chief Executive John Thacher said the April 4 shipment contained 145 white bags of rice protein concentrate and one pink bag. While the pink bag was labeled "melamine," it contained rice protein concentrate. The Chinese said that apparently it was used when the proper bag broke, Thacher said. Melamine residue contaminated the rice protein, and not just in the pink bag, FDA officials said yesterday. [more]

The Blue Buffalo Company has undertaken a voluntary recall of one production run of Spa Select Kitten dry food. The production code on the recalled product is:
"Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B."

Royal Canin, which said earlier this week that its pet food in the U.S. was safe, announced this morning that it's pulling some dry food off the market. [FDA recall]

Also earlier this week, Natural Balance Pet Foods recalled two kinds of pet food after receiving reports of animals vomiting and experiencing kidney problems, the Associated Press reported.

Search the FDA recall list: [search]

The FDA said it knows of five companies that received the contaminated Chinese rice protein concentrate. Three firms have identified themselves by announcing recalls; the other two are not publicly known because the FDA will not name them until the companies come forth voluntarily.
Wilbur-Ellis began importing rice protein concentrate from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology in July 2006. A total of 14 containers holding 336 metric tons of rice protein concentrate were sent from Futian to Wilbur-Ellis. Wilbur-Ellis has distributed 155 metric tons to date. [more]
Wilbur-Ellis noted that it obtained rice protein from a single source in China and shipped to a total of five U.S. pet-food manufacturers located in Utah, N.Y., Kansas and two in Missouri. [more]

Recall Information 04/20/07

Federal officials confirmed Thursday they are investigating whether pork products intended for humans are contaminated with the same industrial chemical that prompted a massive pet food recall and sickened cats and dogs nationwide.
Researchers also have identified three other contaminants in the urine and kidneys of animals sickened or killed after eating the recalled foods, including cyanuric acid, a chemical commonly used in pool chlorination, three researchers told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Cyanuric acid is what most likely sickened pets, one researcher said.
Cyanuric acid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site, "When ingested (by humans) in large amounts, the substance may have effects on the kidneys, resulting in tissue lesions."
Researchers in at least three labs found cyanuric acid, amilorine and amiloride -- all by-products of melamine -- in the crystals of animals' urine, tissues and kidneys.
The findings have not been announced yet, because officials overseeing the research are seeking confirmation from as many labs as possible, they said. [more]

Recall Information 04/19/07

The FDA believes that the pet food product contamination might be intentional. Melamine can make it appear that the protein content of the wheat or corn gluten or protein concentrate is higher than it actually is.
"We are aware that melamine can increase protein content," Sundlof said. "It's still a theory, but it seems to be a plausible one. The motivation would be economic in that you can take a product that is low in protein and would not qualify for the designation as protein supplement and make it appear that it has a high protein content so it can be sold at a higher price." [more]

SOUTH AFRICA PET FOOD RECALL: MELAMINE IN CORN GLUTEN
This finding adds weight to the theory that melamine was added to wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate deliberately to boost their nitrogen values (a measure of protein content). All three substances are used as a cheap protein additive in pet foods. [more]

Recall Information 04/15/07

Associated Press is reporting today that two dogs in Puerto Rico died of kidney failure after eating dog biscuits that were among the 100-plus brands of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical, according to a veterinarians' group. The same Ol'Roy dog biscuits recalled from North American shelves last week, killed the two Puerto Rican dogs.
"Moreover, here at ChemNutra, we are concerned that we may have been the victim of deliberate and mercenary contamination for the purpose of making the wheat gluten we purchased appear to have a higher protein content than it did, because melamine causes a false high result on protein tests. We had no idea that melamine was an issue until being notified by the FDA on March 29. In fact, we had never heard of melamine before. It's simply not a chemical even on the radar screen for food ingredient suppliers."  [more]

Recall Information 04/13/07

There’s no guarantee that all brands of contaminated pet food have been identified, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
Nor can FDA officials guarantee that the nearly 100 brands of pet food already recalled since March 16 have been taken off store shelves. [more]

CBS News has learned that the tainted wheat gluten used in pet food was human grade — meaning nothing but luck kept it from being used in the food people eat, too.
Wheat gluten is added to foods like bread, pasta and rice. While the public was focused on the danger to their pets, sources tell CBS News that the FDA had tracked at least one suspect batch of wheat gluten into the human food supply, quietly quarantined some products and notified the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to watch for new patients admitted to hospitals with renal or kidney failure. [more]

A Senate panel took the Food and Drug Administration to task yesterday for its "inexcusable" response to pet food contamination and a month's worth of expanding recalls that have left Americans fearful about what to feed their cats and dogs.
Earlier in the day, the FDA warned consumers that some of the more than 100 brands of pet food that contain adulterated wheat gluten may still be in stores. The FDA made about 400 spot-checks and found that some banned products still had not been removed. [more]

Recall Information 04/10/07

Twenty-six additional products are being added to the list of pet food products that have been recalled because of concerns about potentially contaminated wheat gluten, Menu Foods of Ontario, Canada announced today. They include: Americas Choice, Preferred Pet, Your Pet, Pet Pride, Laura Lynn, Nutriplan, Price Chopper, Publix, Stop & Shop Companion, Winn Dixie, and Nutro Products. [more]

Also, FDA Stephen Sundlof said on Friday that "somebody may have added melamine to the wheat gluten in order to increase what appears to be the protein level. Wheat gluten is a high-protein substance and by trying to artificially inflate the protein level, it could command a higher price".

Recall Information 04/05/07

The pet food recall expanded Friday as Sunshine Mills Co. announced that it's recalling some of its dog biscuits after learning the products were made with tainted wheat gluten imported from China. The dog biscuits involved in the recall were made at its Red Bay, Alabama, plant during part of March, 2007, and include such brands as Nurture Chicken & Rice, Pet Life Large, Lassie Lamb and Rice, and Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats.
A complete list of the recalled products is available on the company's Web site: www.sunshinemills.com. Pet owners can also call the company at 1-800-705-2111.

A company in Western Washington is the latest to announce a major pet food recall. Ferndale-based TW Enterprises, the makers of American Bullie A.B. Pizzle Puppy Chews and Dog Chews, is recalling seven different types of pet chews due to concerns about salmonella contamination. These products are not part of the Menu Foods recall.

The FDA continues to investigate melamine, and suggested for the first time yesterday that the poisoning may not, as it first said, be accidental. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said it was investigating whether melamine, a toxin used in plastics and pesticides, may have been added to the food to boost protein and increase profits.

Recall Information 04/05/07

Menu Foods said in a statement today that a total of 20 varieties of dog and cat food have been added to the recall list, including Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Can and Great Choice wet dog food. No new brands were added to the recall.
The Canada-based company said the recall now included all products manufactured with wheat gluten bought from ChemNutra Inc. going back to Nov. 8, 2006.
Sunshine Mills Inc. of Alabama also is recalling dog biscuits made with contaminated wheat gluten.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators said Thursday they are still trying to figure out whether the relatively nontoxic chemical melamine — found in recalled pet food — was the sole culprit that sickened and, in some cases, killed dogs and cats across the country. Melamine may be linked to another substance that has not yet been identified that could have contributed to pet deaths. “Our job now is going to be to determine whether it’s the melamine or some other contaminant that carried through with the chemical, of which substantial amounts were found in wheat gluten, imported from China and used in the recalled food”, said Steven Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine

Recall Information 04/03/07

The American company that imported the contaminated ingredient linked to the death and illnesses of pets nationwide has recalled all the wheat gluten it received from the Chinese company that supplied the tainted product.
ChemNutra said it took the action after the Food and Drug Administration discovered the chemical melamine in samples of the wheat gluten it imported from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. of China.

ChemNutra said it shipped 792 metric tons of the contaminated wheat gluten from its Kansas City warehouse to three pet food manufacturers -- and one distributor. Those shipments started on November 9, 2006 and ended March 8, 2007.

Recall Information 04/01/07

The FDA says it found a chemical used to make plastics in the pet food that has been the subject of a national recall. Last week, the FDA said the rodent poison aminopterin was found by New York state officials in the recalled food. However, further testing by the FDA and others have failed to confirm the presence of this poison. Experts at the University of Guelph in Canada detected aminopterin in some samples of the recalled pet food, but only in very small percentages.
An FDA official allowed that it was not immediately clear whether the melamine was the culprit. The agency's investigation continues, said Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. Cornell University scientists also have found the chemical, sometimes used 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.

Melamine is used to make kitchenware and other plastics. It is both a contaminant and byproduct of several pesticides, including cyromazine, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Melamine is toxic only in very high doses and has been shown in rats to produce bladder tumors, according to the EPA.

"Melamine at high doses causes a pronounced diuretic affect in dogs and rats, as well as the development of crystals in their urine," said Dr. Steven Hansen, veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA's Midwest Office, including its Animal Poison Control Center (APCC). "The twist in the tale is that melamine itself has a very high safety margin, especially when compared with a toxin such as aminopterin.

"Cats, however, are a very sensitive species, and can react adversely to many chemicals and drugs," continued Dr. Hansen. "Because of their unique physiology, we suspect that they may also be more sensitive to the adverse effects of melamine.

"Further, crystals in urine have been reported by veterinary diagnosticians and clinicians in some of the pets affected by the contaminated foods. However, the direct connection between melamine and renal failure, especially in cats, is not clear and requires additional investigation."

It is not clear how many pets may have been poisoned by the contaminated food. The FDA has received more than 8,000 complaints; the company Menu Foods, more than 300,000.

After the announcement that the rodent poison aminopterin was found by New York state officials, Menu Foods expanded its recall which initially covered only cans and pouches of food packaged from Dec. 3 through March 6, to include all 95 brands of the “cuts and gravy” style food, regardless of when they were produced.

*** The recall has been expanded again. It now includes the first dry food, Hills Prescription Diet m/d Feline, as well as Alpo® Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food (Purina©). Consumers who have any bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline should discontinue use. They should speak with their veterinarian if their pet shows any signs of kidney/renal illness. Such signs include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.
For more information, consumers may contact Hills Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777 or visit www.HillsPet.com
*** Del Monte Pet Products is also recalling select product codes of its pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train® Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands.

For an up to date list of recalled products, go to the AVMA's website, the FDA website, or The PetFoodTracker.

Some pets eating food manufactured by Menu Foods have developed kidney failure. Several animals have died within a few days of consuming the canned or pouched food.
The signs to watch for:

* increased water intake
* increased urination
* decreased appetite
* vomiting
* lethargy

Any pets exhibiting some or all of these symptoms should see their veterinarian as soon as possible. If you have fed one of the recalled foods, we recommend blood work  and a urinalysis to assess your pets' kidney function. In addition to looking for problems, this will establish baseline values for future reference. Some reports indicate that symptoms did not occur for 10 days or more after eating the tainted food. If we can catch renal disease in the early stages, a positive outcome will be much more likely.

For a list of recalled foods go to: www.menufoods.com/recall

For more information, see the FDA website: www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01590.html

Immediatly stop feeding the food and contact the company if the product is on the Menu Foods recall list.
The FDA is requesting that people with sick or deceased pets who believe their pet might have consumed one of the implicated products contact a state complaint coordinator. In Florida call: (866) 337-6272.

The consumer recall hotline numbers for Menu Foods are: 1-866-463-6738 or 1-866-895-2708. According to the company, if you get a recording that the number is not in service, you should keep trying as their lines have been swamped.

Recall information from 3/24/07:

NEW YORK LABORATORIES HAS IDENTIFIED THE TOXIN IN RECALLED PET FOOD
Aminopterin Confirmed in Recalled Pet Food and Implicated Tissue Samples

Rat Poison has been found in 2 of 3 samples of pet food by Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The toxin, Aminopterin is in the pet food samples at a level of at least 40 parts per million. Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid, can cause cancer and birth defects in humans and can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats. Aminopterin is not approved for use in the United States.

After the announcement, Menu Foods expanded its recall which initially covered only cans and pouches of food packaged from Dec. 3 through March 6, to include all 95 brands of the “cuts and gravy” style food, regardless of when they were produced.

Sources: AP, American Veterinary Medical Association, FDA, Nestle Purina, Proctor & Gamble, Hill's Pet Nutrition, State Public Health Veterinarian

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