Topic: Menu Foods Recall - Rat poison found in recalled pet food

[GAP]

Why are they importing wheat?

Rat poison found in recalled pet food
Updated Fri. Mar. 23 2007 12:08 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

New York State Department of Agriculture officials confirmed reports Friday that rat poison has been found in pet food products blamed for the deaths and illnesses of several animals in the U.S. and Canada.

An earlier ABC News report stated that a rodenticide -- illegal in the U.S. -- had been used on wheat that was imported from China by Menu Foods.

The pet food company then used the grain in close to 100 brands of dog and cat food.

Officials have scheduled a news conference for Friday afternoon where they are expected to reveal more details about the investigation.

Last week, Menu Foods ordered a recall of the affected products in Canada and the U.S. after reports began coming in that dogs and cats were becoming sick, and in some cases dying.
More on link

[KwaiLo]

Two people on my street have had to put down their animals because of this in the last two weeks.

I was told that there is a class action suit taking place because of it.  One couple spent $350 putting down their cat, the other $1500 trying to save their dog.  Urinary tract issues in both.

[Hawk]

Wheat imported from CHINA???!!! Like in we don't grow enough in North America???!!!

My cat eats cuts and gravy - about a tablespoon every evening as a treat - but a brand that wasn't affected by the recall. Believe me, when I heard about it, I took a can out of the cupboard and read the label, then went online to find out if her food was affected. Now, my cat is just a "moggie" - a mixed variety, just plain cat - but she's a beautiful Calico, and she's our much-loved Cleo. There would have been hell to pay if anything had happened to her!!!

Advice for pet owners? Don't have any. This recall covers everything from the cheap brands to at least one top-of-the-line one. Read the label, go on line and research the company that manufactures your pet's food. Feed dry food-its better for them, and less likely (but no guarantee) to have anything wrong with it.

 
Hawk

[retiredgrunt45]

Thankfully i don't use that brand cat food, but its terrible when your pets become sick and die because of tainted food.

 Its like loosing a member of your family. We have 4 cats and it would be devistating to loose anyone of them.

[Blackadder1916]

  had been used on wheat that was imported from China by Menu Foods.

Wheat imported from CHINA???!!!

Well, to hazard a guess, I suspect it was a "simple" business decision.  Though Menu Foods is based in Canada where probably the best wheat in the world is grown, they most likely looked for the cheapest ingredients to put in their pet food products.  Since it would be going into a product that is not intended to enter the human food chain, there were few, if any, regulations that it had to meet. 

[FastEddy]

Thankfully i don't use that brand cat food, but its terrible when your pets become sick and die because of tainted food.

 Its like loosing a member of your family. We have 4 cats and it would be devistating to loose anyone of them.

I fought tooth and nail with my Wife to feed our cat with Wet Pet food even sporadically for just a Treat. Boy ! am I glad I lost that argument over the years. All he gets is IAM's dry (lean diet) and water.

Over the years we've had to put down a three pets (just due to old age and the usual illnesses that come with it) believe me it doesn't get any easier.

If this is happening with the pet food industry, what the hell are we eating ?.

Theres no excuse for it, are you telling we can't make pet food without, buying from these parts of the world.

Cheers.

[Hawk]

Cleo gets Friskies. She used to eat Happy Cat, but it was Purina changed it to Friskies, and we just switched her over with no problems. We'd fed our old cat Happy Cat all her life, and she lived to be 18 before she just wore out. I've forgotton why we started giving her Friskies beef chunks and gravy every evening, about a tablespoon, but being a little sucky-cat, she demands it now!!!

To lose her, would be like losing a child-she's that much a part of our lives. We just love her to bits! I got so concerned, I looked up how to make cat food, and its a thought!

 
Hawk

[tomahawk6]

Our animals are fed dry food only so we avoided this tragedy. Raw pet foods are becoming fashionable. Menu foods is headed for bankruptcy as the law suits will be too much to bear. Their stock took a huge hit this week and will continue to fall,unless a miracle happens.

http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/rawpetfood.html

[Mr.Newf]

Good thing my dog eats dry food.

[3rd Herd]

My Bouviers have been on dry food same brand except for when travelling and the occasional serving of home made lasagna or pan drippings. Have 15 years and 13 years of near perfect health for both.The cats one 13 the other 5 are accustomed to dry Friskies and as many mice as they can find. The 5 year old is a replacement for one that I had prior, turns out you can only get 23 years out of a cat. 

As for the problems in the pet food there are a couple of others. Too high a level of vitiam D in some of the foods and too much "filler" in others.

[Hawk]

Advise: READ THE LABELS

Be sure what you're feeding your pets!

 
Hawk

[tomahawk6]

In this case "strychnine" would not have been found on the label.

[FastEddy]

In this case "strychnine" would not have been found on the label.

GOOD POINT "tomahawk".

Cheers.











'

[Hawk]

Sorry-typing before I thought, again!

I meant, in general, read the labels on animal food. Whenever I see a new brand on the shelves, I see if its any better than what the cat's getting now. Know what? There isn't a lot of difference between the high priced and low priced brands, so it come down to good kitty nuitrition, and the right amount of vitamins. But, like you said, the strychnine wouldn't have been listed.

 
Hawk

[FastEddy]

Sorry-typing before I thought, again!

I meant, in general, read the labels on animal food. Whenever I see a new brand on the shelves, I see if its any better than what the cat's getting now. Know what? There isn't a lot of difference between the high priced and low priced brands, so it come down to good kitty nuitrition, and the right amount of vitamins. But, like you said, the strychnine wouldn't have been listed.

 
Hawk

Basically because there isn't, Even with People Food. producers will label a item with their Name Brand and have it retailed with their price and then can or package part of a batch to a contracted outlet Store Brand Name who usually gets it sightly cheaper and sells it below Brand Name Prices. Then its Volume verses Picky Shoppers.

Then there are Producers who are strictly Contracted or Owned by Chain Outlets who dictate recipes and or ingredients.

Surprising enough, I find the Store Brands are usually the same or even better, in quality and volume. Take a certain Brand Name Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies 350 gm @ 4.99 verses Store Brand 450 gm @ 3.75, actually I like the Store Brand (taste wise) much better.

Sometimes, if it costs more, it naturally better, that not always true. How do I know about the above, I have a Friend that owns a very large Franchised Outlet.

Cheers.

[proudnurse]

Over the weekend when I was working, we took some time to reflect on this issue. I feel terrible for the people that lost thier pets  we were talking about how, even though your pet died from something beyond your control, just knowing that you were the one feeding it to them, I can't imagine how that must have felt for these people that lost a part of their family.

~Rebecca

[Flip]

From what I've heard, the imported product is not wheat per se, but wheat gluten.

Wheat Gluten is a vegetable protein used in a wide variety of foods for it's
physical properties and in humans is the cause of celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder with potentially devastating results.
My brother in law is so afflicted, so he read EVERY label like it might be his last meal.

I suspect that the wheat gluten extraction carried the poison with the gluten.

Personally, I have Cats at home and at my business.  How a customer reacts
to the cats is a predictor of how the customer will treat me.

Nothing gets me emotional as quickly as a "critter" story.
My wife thinks I'm nuts when I can't watch Animal Planet when it's sad -
But have no problem at all watching a tragic war movie.

I was lucky.......

My thoughts and prayers are with the owners of sick pets.




   

[FastEddy]

From what I've heard, the imported product is not wheat per se, but wheat gluten.


Nothing gets me emotional as quickly as a "critter" story.
My wife thinks I'm nuts when I can't watch Animal Planet when it's sad -
But have no problem at all watching a tragic war movie.

I was lucky.......

My thoughts and prayers are with the owners of sick pets.

Then I guess you've never watched Animal Police, my God ! you can't imagine how some people treat and abuse animals of all descriptions. At least in the U.S. they have laws and pretty stiff penalties.

Here in Quebec we have none and if the Perpetrators are charged by the SPCA and are found guilty, there's been cases that the Animals are returned to them.

The Province of Puppy Mills.

Sorry for Rant.


   

[Flip]

Actually you've hit on one on my "pet" causes.

Under Canadian law dogs and cats are chattel. No serious value.
No rights or real protection.

Canadian law hasn't been changed much in this regard since the
time of Queen Victoria.

There was new law, but Paul Martin called an election before it made
it's way through to proclamation. I was kind of P.O.d

I think companion animals deserve to be protected.

I have a neighbour who regularly disposes of cats.
I can't even get the "humane" society to ask questions.

I'll bet my rant was worse

[retiredgrunt45]

Heres a website for a current upto date list of recalled pet food and safe petfood.

 http://hubpages.com/hub/Menu_Foods_Cat_Food_Recall_List


 I have 4 cats and I treat them like my children. I think some people take to many things for granted in their lives, until it effects them directly, then they realize what they lost really meant something after all.

[3rd Herd]

CTV last night and this morning states that ALL Menu food is to be pulled from the shelves at the behest of Menu foods. Apparently some stores were not pulling the food off of the shelves.

[Hawk]

I was at Safeway today and IAMS and Pet Priority are still on the shelves.

 
Hawk

[Yrys]

CNN article : Second thoughts about pet food

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/03/second-thoughts-about-pet-food.html

[emmiee]

My cat is a maine coon cat, and has been brought up on both IAMS dry and IAMS cuts and gravy.

All of her food stores were from the tainted lots and now explains why she has been sick. I took her in about February and she got better, then brought her back about two weeks ago, just before the re-call. The vet until then the couldn't understand how (an otherwise super healthy cat) became so ill. She will be alright now but she went from an 18 lb cat to about 10 lbs. Maine coons are very large cats normally and the vet suggested is why she faired better than some.and the fact I brought her in soon after she was "acting" off.

Even if you suspect your pet ate the food, they should be brought in for a check-up. 

em

[niner domestic]

A second grain/grass ingredient has been found to be contaminated - rice.  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070418/world/pet_food_recall

Natural Balance Venison and rice dog foods have been recalled. (these are usually the foods that are given to allergy laden dogs as the venison is a different source of protein and the rice is one of the grasses that is least allergenic to the beasties).