Owners fear for their pets after huge food recall
Concern among pet owners is growing as officials look for the source of contamination that prompted the recall of more than 90 dog and cat foods across North America.
The recall by Menu Foods, based in Streetsville, Ont., involves 51 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food, including Iams, Purina PetCare, and Eukanuba.
The products, totalling more than 60 million cans and pouches, have been responsible for at least seven animal deaths in the U.S., says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
But numerous unconfirmed reports have popped up across Canada as well.
Toronto resident Jovana Kovacevic fed both of her cats -- Tosa and Djole -- food from the recall list.
Kovacevic was unaware of the recall two week ago when Djole was diagnosed with kidney failure and had to be put down.
"We came here and our vet suggested that we put him to sleep," Jovana Kovacevic told CTV Toronto.
Her other cat, Tosa, is now suffering from kidney failure and has to be fed intravenously.
"It was very devastating," she said.
| Recall information |
|---|
| Menu Foods recall information 1-866-895-2708 or 1-866-463-6738 Here are the lists of: Recalled cat foods, and Recalled dog foods Menu Foods is experiencing a high volume of calls. They ask people to keep trying if the line is busy. The affected foods are canned or foil-pouch foods. Veterinarians recommend that concerned pet owners stop feeding their pets any of the foods on the product lists and switch to either a dry pet food or another brand. |
CTV.ca has also been flooded with letters from readers telling of similar stories, including one from a Saskatchewan woman who says her cat died a few days ago and had been eating the food on the recall list.
Another woman wrote in about her 11-year-old dog Sadie who had to be put down on March 11. The woman had been feeding her dog food from the recall list.
Gillian Alexander, 18, from Waterdown, Ont. has even started an online petition asking for reimbursement after her family cat, Nigel, died of kidney failure.
"Vet bills are too expensive. For my cat to simply undergo tests it would cost approximately $1575," wrote Alexander. "This cost is not including treatments, which are limited."
Alexander said she called Menu Foods and asked if she would be reimbursed but the representative said they "didn't know."
Contamination source
The FDA is focusing on wheat gluten as a possible source of the contamination that sparked the recall last week.
Because wheat gluten itself wouldn't cause kidney failure, FDA investigators are examining other ingredients as possible sources of contamination.
Those include heavy metals like cadmium and lead or fungal toxins. Aflatoxin, a corn fungus, sparked a 2005 dog food recall.
Veterinarians say the signs of kidney failure are:
- a change in water consumption,
- a change in the amount of urination
- a decreased appetite
- possible vomiting
- generalized weakness or malaise
The food is sold throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico by major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Safeway.
The recall applies to dog and cat food made between Dec. 3 and March 6, and is limited to "cuts and gravy''-style pet food in cans and pouches.
The timing of the complaints coincided with the use of an ingredient from a new supplier, Menu Foods said. The company said it remains unclear whether the wheat gluten ingredient was responsible for the illnesses, but it has discontinued its use.
Two other companies -- Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. -- said Saturday that as a precaution they were voluntarily recalling some products made by Menu Foods.
