AMY'S ARTICLES

TRAGEDY PROMPTS PET FOOD RECALL

My last column offered tips appropriate for National Poison Prevention Week. In a cruel twist of fate, that same week we learned nearly 100 brands of pet foods may have been poisoned. Aminopterin, used to kill rats in China, was first detected in samples and later the chemical melamine--used in the production of plastics--was identified in food and ingredient samples. Wheat product imported from China is the suspected source of the tainted pet food ingredient that has injured or killed an unknown number of cats and dogs.

As of this writing, experts still aren’t sure how the poison got into the pet food, exactly what made the pets sick, or which ingredient may have been tainted.

Although it shouldn't be in the food, melamine isn't known to be dangerous, however, it may serve as a "marker" for some other as-yet unidentified poison. In dogs and cats, aminopterin can cause kidney failure but researchers have not found it in all tested samples.

Signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, vomiting, lethargy, increased thirst and urination. If your pet exhibits one or more of these signs, seek immediate veterinary attention.

Area veterinary clinics have been overwhelmed with phone calls, says Mary Nelson, receptionist at Brakebill Animal Hospital in Sherman. “We give people the 800 number to call if they have specific questions, and we have printed out the list [of recalled foods] from the Internet but they keep changing it,” says Nelson. “We’re telling people mainly to avoid feeding any kind of canned or pouch food with any kind of gravy or sauce, to not even take a chance.”

Have any area pets been affected? That’s hard to know. Nelson says a client cat that ate some of the suspect food died the week before the recall, so the veterinary staff suspects it may be a victim. “It’s too late to determine,” she says.

While only about 16 pet deaths have been officially confirmed a growing number of unsubstantiated cases are being reported. Some of these illnesses and death, although tragic, may have nothing to do with the food. Unscrupulous individuals also tend to take advantage of such situations to make false claims. It can be difficult to tell the difference.

That is why it is VITAL to report any suspected case to the FDA and go through the proper channels to document food-related problems. As a regulatory body, the FDA can only rely on evidence provided by veterinary diagnosis and analysis of ill or deceased pets, coupled with evidence of having eaten the food. Talk with your veterinarian about the steps needed to report problems. FDA phone lines may be busy or request you leave a message--please do so, and someone actually will call you back. We owe it to our animals to report this, make sure the true numbers are reflected, and help put in place systems for preventing future problems.

My colleague, syndicated pet columnist Gina Spadafori, has received hundreds of reader reports of suspected pet involvement.

“The geographical spread [of these reports] is huge, and the deaths seem to be 80 percent cats,” says Spadafori. While self-reporting poses questions about substantiating the claims, she adds, “We've released the numbers, and believe even given the problems of self-reporting that the number of "official" deaths will climb."

Certainly the tragedy raises questions about the pet food industry for any caring dog or cat owner. Our pets trust us to fill the bowl with tasty, nutritious, safe food--in turn, we trust pet food manufacturers and they trust that established guidelines they follow will provide an adequate safety net for their customers. Pet food companies want this fixed as much or more than anyone. It’s bad business to poison your target audience.

So if something of this scope can happen, do current regulations need an overhaul? If so, will the price of “safe” pet foods skyrocket to pay the bill? Certainly we’ve had concerns over quality issues and recalls in other industries, even in pet foods, although never before of this scale.

“Bad stuff happens. When it happens to the food chain, people and animals can get very, very sick and even die,” says Lorraine Shelton, ASQ CQA, a quality assurance auditor for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a feline genetics expert, author, and professional cat breeder. One of Shelton’s friends lost a special cat to what appears to be this food tragedy, making the issue even more personal.

Menu Foods Inc. learned about a potential problem in early February from concerned pet owners. About three weeks later they recalled 60 million units of “cuts in gravy” style dog and cat foods produced at two of its US facilities between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. NOTE: Since the first reports Menu Foods has expanded the recall to ALL its foods no matter the date listed.

The recalled products are packaged in cans and pouches under nearly 100 brand names including Iams, Eukabana, Nutro, Ol’Roy, Publix and Winn Dixie for dogs, and Iams, Eukabana, Best Choice and Winn Dixie for cats. Brands on the list are sold through Kroger, Safeway, Wal-Mart, PetSmart, Petco and numerous other outlets and have been pulled from shelves.

Once the suspect batches of wheat gluten were identified, other pet food companies, erring on the side of caution, inventoried their products and voluntarily recalled any dog or cat food product that contained wheat gluten provided by this supplier.

These include Purina (5.3 ounce Mighty Dog brand pouch products) a “cuts in gravy” style products manufactured by Menu Foods. Hill's Pet Nutrition said late Friday that its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food included the same company's wheat gluten ingredient, and pulled this product from veterinary shelves. Most recently, Del Monte Pet Products voluntarily recalled its Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats. FDA officials have not ruled out the possibility of other foods also being recalled.

Pet owners express surprise that the “high end” pet foods come from the same manufacturer as low-dollar products, or that not all brands originate at the name-company’s site. But we take for granted that one plant may make SUVs as well as sports cars or budget models while outsourcing portions of their business to specialty companies. Large manufacturers such as Menu Foods commonly are given specific recipes to create different brands detailed by their various pet food clients. I have personally toured three different major pet food company’s manufacturing facilities (one in England) and all produced “special label” brand products for other companies.

How did the company know what foods to recall? “They did an investigation and the only thing that changed was the supplier for wheat gluten, therefore they recalled everything that included wheat gluten from that supplier,” says Shelton.

Gluten is the protein source of grain that gives dough its tough, elastic character. It is a common protein ingredient in pet food products, for instance, used to thicken the gravy. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to investigate the issue, while working with Menu Foods to conduct an effective recall. FDA officials originally suspected wheat gluten may have been contaminated with mold or another toxin--and as recently discovered, rat poison has been identified in the food.

“This incident is not necessarily a matter of negligence by the food company,” says Shelton. Nor is it a problem specific to wheat gluten. One farmer's bad decision or one mislabeled container could have led to the tragedy. “It could just have easily been a problem with potatoes, meat meal, or tapioca (or any other ingredient in your favorite brand), rather than wheat gluten," says Shelton. Many cat and dog owners strive to feed a species appropriate food (meat) and question why wheat gluten should have even been in the mix. "Meat contamination is actually just as common (if not more so) than grain contamination," notes Shelton. "It is impossible to test all food ingredients for every imaginable contaminant.”

Menu estimates this recall could cost between $30-$40 million. Some of the smaller companies may be irrevocably damaged and go out of business as a result. But those able to weather the storm must find a way to regain consumer trust.

Whatever the ultimate cause of the tainted food, this week and beyond will most certainly change the face of how pet food manufacturers do business. Our cats and dogs--and ultimately people--can only benefit.

“It is a dangerous world out there and the fragility of our food chain is something that the Department of Homeland Defense is spending a lot of energy on as well!” says Shelton. “Consolidation of our food supply into the hands of a small number of manufacturers, all producing what appear to be different items but with the same vulnerabilities in the supply chain, is something that will be closely examined by top quality analysts for many years to come.”

And while the U.S. bans certain chemicals being used, imported product from other countries may not have the same constraints. This may be a hard lesson to swallow.

Menu Foods has listed all the potentially contaminated products online at Menu Foods. More information is also available at Purina, and at Hills. Also learn more about the Del Monte treat recall. Additional resources are available at the AVMA website

Owners who wish to report adverse actions or other problems can go to FDA or call 888-INFO-FDA to contact the FDA complaint coordinator in their state. For Texas and Oklahoma the direct number is (214) 253-5200 ext. 5233.