Archive for the ‘News & Tips’ Category
Some worried pet owners are grinding up meat in their kitchens and making their own dog and cat food because of the contamination scare blamed for numerous animal deaths.
Sales of pet food recipe books have also shot up since the nationwide pet-food recall began. But veterinarians warn that making balanced
meals for pets can be complicated and should only be a temporary remedy until the scare passes.
Nearly 100 store and major-brand pet foods were recalled by manufacturer Menu Foods Inc. on March 16. Three other companies have also recalled foods since then. FDA testing found that wheat gluten imported from China was contaminated with a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. The FDA has confirmed about 15 pet deaths, and anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of cats and dogs may have died.
The FDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association are urging pet owners to switch brands if they are worried. The veterinarian group also warned that many common foods are not safe for pets, including salt, garlic, onions, grapes and chocolate.
Making pet food at home is “kind of like canning: You have to think about bacterial contamination. And how do you make sure it’s nutritionally appropriate and balanced for the animal?†said FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza. She added: “We wouldn’t object. We’d say be knowledgeable about what you need.â€
On Amazon.com, the cookbook “Real Food for Dogs†moved into the list of top 200 best-sellers this week. Here’s a simple recipe from the book that your dog will love – try it!
Source: MSNBC
A greater sensitivity of cats to a chemical found in plastics and pesticides could explain why they’ve died in larger numbers than have dogs after eating contaminated pet food, according to experts.
The small number of confirmed reports of pet deaths bolstered by a far larger number of unconfirmed anecdotal reports suggests cats were more susceptible to poisoning by the chemical melamine that tainted the now recalled pet food, officials with the FDA and ASPCA said late last week.
Testing by the FDA and Cornell University has found melamine in samples of recalled pet food as well as in crystal form in the urine and kidney tissue of cats who have died after eating the tainted foods. They’ve also found the chemical, in apparently raw form in concentrations as high as 6.6 percent, in wheat gluten used as ingredient of the recalled cat and dog foods.
Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said Saturday it was recalling all sizes and varieties of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. Purina said a limited amount of the food contained a contaminated wheat gluten from China.
Earlier this month, Menu Foods became the first pet food manufacturer to recall its products. It did so after cats began to fall sick and die during routine company taste tests of its wet-style pet foods, sold under nearly 100 store- and major-label brands across North America. Other than in the recalled products, melamine has not been found in other Menu Foods pet foods, the company said.
Chemical an ingredient in plastic
Melamine is used to make plastic kitchenware, glues, countertops, fabrics, fertilizers and flame retardants. It also is both a contaminant and byproduct of several pesticides, including cyromazine, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The United Nations Environment Program considers melamine of low potential risk, as does the EPA. The agency has sent FDA the database information it has on the chemical and will provide technical assistance as needed, EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said.
The FDA hadn’t found any studies of melamine in cats, and the results of only a single 1945 study that tested it on dogs. That study suggested the chemical increased urine output when fed to dogs in large amounts. Still, it’s well known that identical substances can have very different effects on cats and dogs. For example, the flea killer permethrin is OK to use on dogs but lethal to cats. The same could be the case with melamine.
Cats are very sensitive to many different chemicals, whether drugs, pesticides or plants. They have some unique physiological responses that make them susceptible in cases where we wouldn’t expect it in other species.
Source: Associated Press
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The ASPCA’s website is now providing a Pet Food Recall Resource Center, with FAQ’s, press releases and a complete list of recalled foods and treats. We recommend that pet parents bookmark, it and check it daily as the information continues to be updated.
We realize that we are nobody’s primary source for news, but we have noticed that even though the tainted pet food issue has continued to become more dire, it has actually become more difficult to find updated information about it. Local news outlets have long since moved on to bigger and better stories, meanwhile more pets are becoming seriously ill and dying. So we will continue to provide you with the news and information that we find because we know how important the health of your pet is to you.
The following information regarding potential additional pet food recalls is from the Associated Press:
The U.S. is blocking imports of wheat gluten from a company in China, acting after an investigation implicated the contaminated ingredient in the recent pet-food deaths of cats and dogs.
The Food and Drug Administration took action against wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China, after the U.S. recall of nearly 100 brands of pet food made with the chemically contaminated ingredient. The pet food, tainted with the chemical melamine, apparently has resulted in kidney failure in an unknown number of animals across the country.
Wheat gluten from China has been suspected in the outbreak since the first of multiple recalls was announced in mid-March. Even more pet food could be recalled in the next few days, though there probably has been no contamination of human food, FDA officials said Monday.
The FDA reported last week that it had found melamine in samples of the vegetable protein source used in the recalled wet and dry pet foods and treats, as well as in cats that died after eating contaminated food. Melamine is used in plastics, countertops, glue, fire retardants and other products. Its toxicity to dogs and cats is unknown, but it is not allowed in food in any quantity.
More recalls may come
The imported product was only minimally labeled but apparently went only to pet food producers. The FDA considers the contamination an aberration since wheat gluten generally is not considered a product at risk for contamination.
FDA officials said its nationwide investigation could turn up more pet food manufacturers that used the tainted ingredient, prompting even more products to be recalled.
Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of nearly 100 store- and major-brand pet foods, announced the first recall March 16. Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc., Del Monte Pet Products and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. all have since recalled some of their products as well.
The FDA’s import alert notifies its field offices to detain any wheat gluten offered for import from the Chinese company. The order also recommends inspectors screen all wheat gluten from China as well as from the Netherlands, a country through which transshipping of Chinese products can occur.
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You can also obtain current information about the recalls directly from the FDA on their website.
Nestle Purina PetCare Company is now recalling all sizes and varieties of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. Purina says a limited amount of the food contains a wheat gluten from China that was found to be contaminated with a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.
Late Friday, a dry cat food was added to the list of recalled items for the first time. Hill’s Pet Nutrition said its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food also included the tainted wheat gluten. Both companies used the same supplier that provided wheat gluten to Menu Foods. The Canadian company has recalled 60 million containers of wet dog and cat food sold under nearly 100 brand labels. Investigators are still trying to determine how many pets have been affected, and exactly what is causing it.
With the FDA now confirming that consumers suspect dry pet food may have sickened or killed their companion animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on the FDA to immediately expand the pet food recall to include all dry varieties subject to complaints until they are chemically tested for safety.
PETA will also ask the FDA to investigate Iams in order to find out if the company knew about the contaminated food before calling for a recall. According to PETA, Pennsylvania resident Yvette Faulkner, whose cat Sassafras suffered kidney failure and had to be euthanized, states that Sassafras ate only Iams’ dry food.
Reports indicate that Menu Foods, Iams’ manufacturer, may have known about the contaminated food as early as February 20. The recall did not go into effect until March 16.
“Nearly a month elapsed between the first reports of illness and death from contaminated products and the recall-time during which countless cats and dogs may have been sickened and died,” says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. “We’re calling on Iams and other companies not to gamble with animals’ lives and to recall all dry food products that are the subject of complaints immediately.” The Food and Drug Administration however, says it has no plans to suggest a wider recall and veterinarians say they’ve seen no trend of dogs and cats getting sick from eating dry food.
Did you know that on April 10th 2007, the ASPCA will be celebrating ‘ASPCA Day’ ? They are encouraging animal lovers nationwide to ‘Go Orange for Animals’ and there’s just enough time for you to get in on the action…
In their hometown of New York City, many Big Apple buildings will be lighting up in orange—the official ASPCA color—on the ASPCA’s birthday, April 10th. Other big cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin and Philadelphia, will be going orange, too.
But let’s not forget the most important participants of all. Without the support of animal lovers nation-wide, The ASPCA wouldn’t still be the oldest humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Please join them in celebrating the work that they do and the animals that are served by ‘Going Orange for Animals’ on April 10th.
To get you started, they’ve provided a long list of ideas on how you can ‘Go Orange’ in your city, town, classroom or community for animals on April 10. Whether you organize a pet parade in your community, petition to get your town hall to light up orange, or decorate your office door with an orange bow, your help is appreciated.
GO ORANGE! GLOW ORANGE! SHOW ORANGE FOR ANIMALS!
For more information about ASPCA Day, please email [email protected].
Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of 
fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman’s chest. The dog’s owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.
Debbie Parkhurst, 45, of Calvert, Maryland told local reporters she was eating an apple at her home Friday when a piece lodged in her throat. She attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver on herself but it didn’t work. After she began beating on her chest, she said Toby noticed and got involved.
“The next thing I know, Toby’s up on his hind feet and he’s got his front paws on my shoulders,” she recalled. “He pushed me to the ground, and once I was on my back, he began jumping up and down on my chest.”
That’s when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said.
“I literally have pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I’m still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I’m OK,” Parkhurst said.
“The doctor said I probably wouldnt be here without Toby,” said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. “I keep looking at him and saying ‘Youre amazing’.”
Source: Yahoo News
Rat poison was found in the pet food suspected of causing kidney failure that killed at least 16 cats and dogs, but scientists still don’t know how it got there, state officials said Friday. The toxin was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.
Aminopterin is not registered for killing rodents in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, though it is used as a cancer drug. State officials wouldn’t speculate on how the toxin got into Menu Foods’ now-recalled pet food but said no criminal investigations had been launched.
Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods and found Aminopterin in two of them. Hooker said they would be testing individual components of the pet food, as well. “Any amount of this product is too much in food,” he said.
Aminopterin, also used as a cancer drug, is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, it can cause kidney failure, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation in the pet deaths was focusing on wheat gluten in the pet food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated, the FDA said.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
Menu Foods last week recalled “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
The company’s chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
Menu Foods planned a media teleconference for later Friday, a spokesman said. The company is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund of Streetsville. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case.
Source: Associated Press
Is it best to leave a dog in a crate or give it the run of the house if you leave it alone during the day? According to the Humane Society, you should never leave your dog alone all day. 
“Social interaction is vital to your dog’s well-being,†says Michael Helmstetter, development director of the Longmont Humane Society, “and leaving your dog alone all day creates social isolation and denies your dog of one of its most basic needs.†However, if you must leave your dog alone, here are some recommendations:
- Make sure your dog has access to fresh water at all times.
- Install a doggy door so your dog can relieve itself outdoors, or hire someone to stop by every four hours to let it out.
- Give your dog safe toys to relieve stress and to keep the animal occupied. These include a hard rubber Kong or a Buster Cube, which can be filled with treats.
- Hire a dog walker to visit your pet two times a day for social interaction, exercise and play sessions.
- Take your dog to doggy day care at least twice a week for social encounters and to alleviate isolation.
- Include your dog in family activities on weekends.
People used to think a fenced yard was all a dog needed. It provided a comfortable place to play and rest, freedom to move about, and a secure environment.
Now we know dogs are pack animals that require social interaction to lead a happy life. Leaving them alone all day outdoors or indoors is detrimental to their social development and can lead to aggression and separation anxiety.
Source: We borrowed this article from Boulder County Home and Garden because we were happy to find that they borrowed a picture of Kylie to include in this feature in their Winter 06 issue.
Hopefully, if you have pets you are already aware of this, but Menu Foods, the Ontario, Canada-based company, announced Saturday it was
recalling dog food sold throughout North America under 48 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was distributed by major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger and Safeway.
An unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said.
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.
Many stores that sold the affected brands frantically pulled packages off shelves.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates is available from the Menu Foods Web site, http://www.menufoods.com/recall. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information — (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708 — but callers kept the lines busy for much of Saturday.
Menu Foods’ chief executive and president Paul Henderson said that the company had received an undisclosed number of owner complaints that dogs and cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating its products. He told the Associated Press on Friday that the company was still trying to figure out what happened.
We are posting this, hoping it will help spread the word about an urgent need at the Livingston County Humane Society in Chillicothe, MO. There are 10 days left to help save the lives of the dogs and cats there. Here are the details, courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. If there are any ways in which you can help, please contact Carolyn (info below).
Shelter in Chillicothe
March 16, 2007 : 12:00 AM
To All Friends of the Animals,
We are beyond desperate for help. We put out the word Sunday night that the shelter in Chillicothe would no longer be able to house animals indefinitely, that the city was mandating that we only keep the dogs 14 days then they are to be euthanized.
Further, they have let Lesley the shelter manager know that we have to have ALL of the dogs cleared out or spoken for by the 26th of March. I know you guys have all cross-posted your butts off for us, but we need you to get it moving again.
We have had response and have already had some move THANKS DEBBIE WITH FFAL, so far those are the only dogs who have left the shelter. We do have transports going over the next few weekends thanks to my bestest bud and partner in crime Susan, but… she can’t do them all.
We just simply can’t get enough drivers, vehicles etc to move them out. So, we need fairly local rescues who would be willing to drive in and pick up dogs like Debbie did or maybe are close enough that I personally could drive animals to them during the week. I am booked with all these transports on the weekends. We could use more transport help, more coordinator help, would be wonderful if someone had a super large van or bus that they could come to the shelter and move animals for us. etc etc.
We really need the local rescues to step up in order to save these lives. We are transporting to Chicago area Sat, Tulsa Sunday, Chicago and NY and IN next weekend, NM the weekend after. But we are running out of time.. March 26th is only days away. Please, I am begging everyone to help. I know that we have had lots of rescues long distance who can help but it’s the transport that is the problem.
We only have 2 drivers to transport out of Chillicothe Me and Melvin who works there… Also, we are desperate for monetary donation too, we need help with transport costs and with sponsoring dogs to help defray all the vet costs to the shelter. So if anyone can donate financially that will help a great deal.
You can paypal it using lchs @ cmuonline.net (remove spaces) email address as our paypal account or you can mail a check, but it will have to come in quickly as we only have 11 more days. Please Kansas City & St. Louis area rescues, if anyone has room or can make room, please help, those are doable transports for me during the week.
Please cross-post etc etc..
Thanks,
Carolyn
LCHS Volunteer
