** For a list of pet foods NOT on the recall list, see this post. **
ABC News is reporting that a rodenticide, illegal in the United States, was on grain imported from China and used on close to 100 brands of pet food manufactured by Menu Foods.
Here’s part of the story…
“March 23, 2007 — ABC News has learned that investigators have determined that a rodent-killing chemical is the toxin in the tainted pet food that has killed several animals.
A source close to the investigation tells ABC News that the rodenticide, which the source says is illegal to use in the United States, was on wheat that was imported from China and used by Menu Foods in nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food.”
Although the rodenticide is illegal here in the United States, the chemical in it, aminopterin, is used in cancer drugs.
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, Menu Foods, aminopterin
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I was wondering why this company uses wheat from china when it is available here. And also I was wondering if BLUE SEAL dry was on the list. Thank you.Philip Roach
As a family who has just lost our 9 week old kitten who I was feeding the Eukanuba kitten (codes included in recall) – acute kidney failure – extremely ill.
I am outraged by the low numbers that are being reported for animal deaths. Where are these numbers coming from?
Who is investigated? The newscasts and articles should include information on what families need to do/where to report/etc. if they have lost a pet or are treating a sick pet.
Hi Sandy,
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitten. I’m getting more and more emails like yours and I’m extremely angry, like a lot of other pet lovers.
If you haven’t done so already, please go to the Pet Connection Blog and add the information about your kitten to their database. They’re working hard to help figure this all out.
http://www.petconnection.com/recall/
And, if you can get through, call the FDA: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html#feed
Using an imported product from China, CHINA in a pet food? What’s wrong with this picture?
I’m sure this will be a story that will be around for a very long time.
I suspect it all comes down to cost. US wheat farmers probably get farm subsidies, which would make US wheat more expensive than imported.
We either need to do something about the farm subsidies or decide we want to pay more for American wheat.
My 15 year old lab died last month. Why? The vet claims fluid in the chest. But he stopped eating and drinking water. Didn’t move. He was eating Nutro dry dog food. The vet claims it came on “suddenly.” No warning. We then gave him gravy dog food to get him to eat. So we’re unsure why he died. In fact, no one will know until we hear more, or as I say, the real facts will come out. I will bet every dollar I have that there is MORE contamination with this recall. Why did it take three months to hear about this poisoning by CHINA? The food was contaminated since Dec. 2006. My family now has a new lab. We paid $850 and are training her again. Keep in mind, families with pets, especially dogs, give them training. This is costly. A good dog, requires special care, food and training. Imagine if our dear lab was a service dog? What would the cost be to replace him then? These dogs cost $50K up to replace. It is not like going to the pound and getting a replacement.
I am so upset. Now I hear on my local news (not national) as well as international (Canadian) that it “might” be in the human food supply? They can’t rule this out? Let’s see. Where is our Homeland Security dept? Where is our Dept. of Agriculture?
I read last week that one of the US processing plants for dog food which was part of this recall was located in Kansas. Apparently, this same plant was fined years ago for contaminated cow food, and the FDA or dept of agriculture had to intervene and warn them not to mix certain feed in their product for cattle.
Mad cow?
There is definitely more to come from this CHINA poisoning.
I don’t believe anything they tell me.
My otherwise healthy lab is gone and I’m now left wondering who is watching out for Americans!
Angela
Washington, State