Pet food recall expands to new wet brand (ALPO dog food)

[catgirl]

Source: AP


WASHINGTON - The recall of wet and dry pet foods contaminated with a chemical found in plastics and pesticides expanded Saturday to include a new brand even as investigators were puzzled why the substance would kill dogs and cats.

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Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said 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.

The same U.S. supplier also provided wheat gluten, a protein source, to a Canadian company, Menu Foods, which this month recalled 60 million containers of wet dog and cat food it produces for sale under nearly 100 brand labels.

Menu Foods and the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the pet food industry, have refused to identify the company that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070331/ap_on_go_ot/pet_food_recall

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Melamine has been shown to cause tumors in rats....

[Arkansas Granny]

1. I'll be glad when they finally figure out how many kinds of which

brands are affected. I have completely suspended feeding any wet food because the list keeps changing on the foods being recalled. I read here yesterday that a couple of dry dog foods are now being recalled. I might have to just start making my own, but I'm afraid I wouldn't get the right nutrition ratio. Can anyone suggest an easy, complete, nutritious recipe for dogs and cats?

[woodsprite]

3. I've been collecting info today about making my own.

Trying to find out what supplements need to be added. Of course, Silver's already sick and we're not sure if it's from the food or not. I just do not feel easy about this, so I'm finally going with my gut instinct instead of letting people (vet, hubby) tell me "Oh, it's not this brand". I just don't want to put anything more into her body that could hurt her. I don't have to worry much about Max. He's like Mikey on the commercials - He'll eat anything.

[Iceburg]

20. I started making my own 6 days ago; my aussi had been throwing up yellow bile

daily for over a year. I changed dog food (from Nutro to PC Nutrition 1st) but it still persisted. She's had at least 2 seizures in that time and is on now on thyroxine to treat a thyroid condition.

After the crisis with Menufoods, I said that's it!!!... and started making my own food. While it has only been 6 days she has yet to throw up once, her stools are normal and she sleeps soundly through the night. (Previously, she had pukitis almost every night!). Further, she seems to take great delight with her new chow.

While I still have a lot of research ahead of me to find the appropriate nutrional balance for her, I do take comfort in these early signs. It will be interesting to see if her thyroid condition changes...she is tested every three months to adjust to meds. A month from now I will report back in on her progress.

My wonder dog Murphy...

[Doremus]

15. Here's a recipe I've used with much success from a holistic vet.

http://www.foundersvet.com/home_cooking.htm

It's a great comfort to know with certainty what's in their food. I enjoyed making it and they LOVED eating it!

[catgirl]

19. Wow, great link! Thanks!!

[BadgerKid]

29. .

Lean meats and occassional starchy vegetables: that's the basic diet I eat (plus dairy).

It certainly gives adding meaning to a dog being just another member of the family :)

[Lorien]

42. Great recipe and very complete! I worry about the pets who are just being

fed meat as a substitute. Dogs and cats need organ meat, or at the very least a multivitamin with taurine. Dogs can always use some veggies and grains in their diets as well (just avoid corn and wheat-even if it's organic. Many pets don't tolerate those grains well). The recipe you've provided should probably be posted on as many of these threads as possible.

[Doremus]

44. I agree Lorien. Feel free to post it often!

I've been posting caveats whenever I see someone say they're going to feed Dinty Moore stew or <shudder> raw meat, but I welcome any and all assistance!

(pass it on, folks!)

Thanks!!

[Arkansas Granny]

47. I'm bookmarking that site. I might just try cooking up a batch using

those guidelines and see how my dog likes it.

[aquart]

2. Shit. It's spread to Purina.

[Critters2]

23. My feelings exactly!! I was about to go get some Purina cat food.

Not now. Dammit!!! Is nothing safe?!!

And why the hell does a corp as large as Purina have to outsource manufacturing?!!!

[okasha]

24. Purina dry contains no wheat gluten.

Check contents labels on anything you buy.

[Critters2]

25. It's about more than that. I don't want to give money to ANYONE who does business with Menu Foods

I'm in full boycott mode!! Those bastards are NOT getting my money! Feed my pets cheap Chinese wheat, will ya?!

I can't believe I'm seriously considering buying Meow Mix.

[MsFlorida]

4. Tainted wheat gluten & Enzymatic modification

Perhaps we have reason to be very very concerned. this info came from one of the pet websites http://www.howl911.com who has been following this recall very closely. (Please correct if I have posted too much info from the articles, thanks)

WAS THE TAINTED WHEAT GLUTEN ENZYMATICALLY MODIFIED? 03/30/07
A visitor to Howl 911 submitted the following two links to a couple of intriguing articles; one, on the enzymatic modification of wheat gluten with transglutaminase by Chinese food researchers and, two, a U.K.-based research paper citing a link between transglutaminase and renal insufficiency (kidney failure). While intriguing, little can be extrapolated from this information without making certain assumptions, as the enzyme used in modifying the wheat gluten is microbial in origin, while the enzyme used in the cited in vivo research was tissue transglutaminase. And even if the microbial transglutaminase possesses the same cross-linking potential as is credited to the tissue transglutaminase (which is certainly within the realm of possiblity), there would have to be sufficient transglutaminase left as a contaminant in the enzymatically-treated wheat gluten to be of any concern. But because the FDA's most recent speculation (melamine contaminating the wheat gluten from China) has only served to create yet more doubt, Howl 911 has chosen to include the following articles on this website.

Enzymatic modification to boost wheat gluten gelling: 11/27/2006 - Modifying wheat gluten protein with transglutaminase enzymes improves the gelling, rheological and textural properties, claim Chinese researchers - a result that may offer value-added solutions for a wide range of food products ... Some modified wheat gluten is already available to food formulators, like, for example, Tate & Lyle's Meripro 410 and 420 launched earlier this year. The former is designed to bring functional benefits as an emulsifier and dough plasticiser, while the latter is said to have emulsifying and foaming properties well suited for desserts and confectionery.

The Role of Transglutaminase in the Rat Subtotal Nephrectomy Model of Renal Fibrosis This observed association between tissue transglutaminase ... rats demonstrated a steady increase in proteinuria and serum creatinine with time ... indicating progressive renal insufficiency ... and renal tubulointerstitial scarring in rats submitted to SNx suggests that tissue transglutaminase may play an important role in the development of experimental renal fibrosis and the associated loss of tubule integrity

[kenny blankenship]

5. What is this bullshit "refused to identify" !!??!?

"Menu Foods and the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the pet food industry, have refused to identify the company that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten."

Put these fucks under oath in Congressional hearings. The FDA is answerable.

[OhioChick]

14. They should be forced

to identify the company. What a bunch of horseshit.

[Kber]

48. My thougt reading that

was how are they going to make sure all companies that used the contaminated wheat know about it if the company is a secret? Are they depending on the Chinese company to identify all of their customers?

[progressivebydesign]

6. My dogs got violently ill from that food, more than once..

we have two cans sitting in the pantry, ready to toss out. We stopped feeding to the dogs after one became violently ill, the other mildly ill.. and it's not the first time with that particular food. We assumed she was allergic to something in the food dyes. I have never seen a do so ill as my little mini Aussie. Let's just say we had to rent a carpet cleaner and do every carpet and furniture piece in the house.

Why the fuck are they importing WHEAT from China??? Do we not grow wheat in this country any more?? Did all the wheat farmers go out of business and no one told us? Or is it soooo much more CHEAP to buy substandard garbage food from China, because prison labor can harvest it?

And.. NOW the FDA is "working to rule out" that this WHEAT gluten was used in people food. Before they said 'no way', not a chance. NOW they aren't sure.

This is horrid. Do you think that FINALLY people will wake up and realize that CHEAP does not mean good? Or do you think that consumers will start demanding that corporations stop ruining American by spending all of their time trying to think of ways to enrich their top share holders??? America is being trashed because corporations are addicted to obscene profitability. And now it's affecting the food supply.

[libnnc]

7. Last time we fed our german shep/collie mix

a can of that crap was about a month ago. It was supposed to be a treat. He got sick the next morning.

He's on Pedigree dry exclusively now and I'm just waiting for THAT to show up in a recall.

God this really makes me furious.

[A Brand New World]

8. I fed this to my 2 golden retrievers last night. I'm sick with worry!

They each had a 1/2 can with their dry food. The serial numbers match up. I just got off the phone with the vet and he told me what to be on the look out for.

This whole situation is very aggravating with these companies vowing that their products were fine and then finding out they're not. This just seems like the tip of the iceberg (that we're still not being told the truth!) From now on, mine get dry food and people food. No more canned of any kind!

[salin]

10. I hope they are okay - glad you got quick info so that you can act quickly

if needed.

Earlier this week our golden was listless the day after he came home from being boarded at the vets. I realized that we told them he eats Hills Prescription Diet but we didn't specify dry or wet and we were worried for a little while ... even had to do that temperature thing that he just hates. Which, boosted his energy (fighting off the effort) and when we took him out - he got 'unconstipated' which appears to have been the root of his problem. All is well. Of course I realized the fear was irrational (they have on record what feed he eats because we buy it from them; and there is probably no better place besides home that he could have stayed in terms of folks taking good and careful care). All that said - I understand that period of concern and creeping fear.

Here is to your two goldens being big enough that the small ratio of the food to their other food and their body size will leave them find and healthy.

[A Brand New World]

43. So far mine seem to be OK. They are showing none of the

symptoms that the vet said to be on the look out for. Thank God! Their kibble is Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice which contains no wheat and from now on they will get only people food as their add-in. (Eggs, cottage cheese, cooked meat)

[Doremus]

16. There are good canned foods. They aren't at the grocery store though.

Grocery store brands of all types, even the so-called "premium" brands, are swill and I wouldn't feed them to my, well, dog.

http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#commercial

This site lists high quality pet foods. There are many to choose from but it will probably take some research to find them locally. I'm sure you'll agree your pet deserves the extra effort.

[catgirl]

36. You probably caught it in time.

Thank goodness!

[Mojorabbit]

9. Damn it.

I fed this to my dog last night. Why the hell did they wait so long to add it to the list?

[Kber]

50. Probably because the FDA isn't releasing the name of the company

which may mean it could take longer for companies to realize that their food might be contaminated.

[DBoon]

11. I've started buying human-quality canned meat

for our dogs (specifically chicken).

Of course the fact that absolutely no canned dogs foods are on the shelf anymore makes this a lot easier

[Mnemosyne]

12. Read Molly Ivens "Bushwhacked" and see if you still

feel safe feeding your furkids "human quality" meat products.

I was nauseated reading it. Molly focuses quite a bit on how * threw out much of the food safety regs. that Clinton put into place with the Ecoli, listeria, etc. that sickened too many US citizens in the 1990's.

[DBoon]

22. well, they eat cat poop on a regular basis

and THAT never causes them to get sick as far as I can tell

dogs have much stronger stomach acids than humans and hence are more resistant to bacteria-caused food issues. Dogs can feast on rotting carrion and still do OK, when a human would get severe food poisoning (assuming they could swallow it to begin with)

I'm more worried about chemicals in dog food and I'm hoping the human food chain is safer.

If not, all bets are off and we would have to grow our own food, a daunting endeavor on a small urban household.

[Karenina]

33. This is a WAKE UP call!!!

The human food pipeline is NOT SAFER. The corporations just haven't been busted yet on a large enough scale.

[Mnemosyne]

40. lololol Great point! They really aren't the most

particular eaters on Earth! Cat poop = fast food Puke = fast food :)

[underseasurveyor]

13. For that matter one could buy canned stew

like dinty moore or what ever the store brand is and feed that to your critters.

[Gin]

17. Are other countries experiencing this with their pet food?

Surely that Chinese wheat supplier ships to other countries.

[Doremus]

18. Okay in a pinch, but not as a regular diet.

Way too much sodium in canned stews and soups. The recipes aren't formulated for canine/feline diets either.

Much better to take a little time to source quality brands. See my post #8 for a site that has some good information and a list of high quality pet foods.

[DBoon]

21. yes, I'm worried about the salt

though raw meat doesn't keep too well, I really should start looking into it

[Doremus]

26. There is more to feeding a raw diet than that.

You might want to do some research before feeding a raw diet. It's not something you want to jump into without much research. Good luck.

[catgirl]

27. That's a good idea.

[Raine]

35. That's what I'm doing

for the time being. No way will I feed my dog or cats any "pet" food till I can get some good organic stuff for them.

[tblue37]

41. Be careful of canned meats, though--they are often high in sodium. (eom)

[rainbow4321]

28. Pet Food Chemical May Be Worse for Cats

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PET_FOOD_RECALL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

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, experts said Saturday.

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 Food and Drug Administration and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Saturday.

"I am concerned we have a situation where we have a sensitive species and it is the cat," said Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist and director of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control center in Urbana, Ill.

"It has a very low toxicity, at least in rodents. The problem is, we don't have information in cats, and that seems to be the most susceptible species," Sundlof said of melamine. Sundlof also allowed that the tainted cat foods could have contained higher concentrations of melamine than did the dog foods.

[NYC]

30. Why?

...Menu Foods and the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the pet food industry, have refused to identify the company that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten...

Why? Someone is supplying poisoned food. Why will that supplier not be identified?

I think we have a right to know. How else can we avoid that supplier in the future?

[Maddy McCall]

31. I just got back from the local grocery store. It's still on the shelf there.

I wonder why they haven't removed it yet.

:shrug:

[catgirl]

37. Give them a call and tell them

they must know, but they may worry about lawsuits.

[yasmina27]

32. I made my own dog food tonight

They had been eating Alpo - the brand recalled but not with the serial numbers. My dogs would not eat their food last night, and when I went to clean their dish this afternoon, the leftovers were hard as a rock! Melamine hardening? I don't know and I'm not taking any chances.

So today I bought a nice beef roast and some beef liver, saute'd it up in some beef bouillon,ground it up in the food processor added some cooked rice, and they think they're in heaven! Tomorrow I'll do the same with some chicken,

[Critters2]

34. I'm not an expert about homemade dog food, but I'd be careful with buillon

It's usually VERY high in salt, unless you specifically buy a low-salt form. Just a thought.

[yasmina27]

38. You're right

but this was organic beef broth.

My apologies, I should have been more clear.

[Doremus]

39. Yasmina, you've got the basics for a great homecooked diet there,

but if you're going to feed it long-term, you need to put some other stuff in there like bone meal and vitamins.

I pasted this link up thread, but here it is again. It's a holistic vet's recipe that she uses for her own dogs.

http://www.foundersvet.com/home_cooking.htm

[yasmina27]

46. Thank you - it looks great! n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

45. Shit...I haven't given ours the "cuts in sauce", but

he's been getting other Alpo varieties. I don't trust any of this crap anymore, especially since they refuse to divulge the source of the tainted food.

It's just like this fucking misadministration...protecting "corporate" (criminal) interests. :grr:

[robcon]

49. My Dog Chow isn't part of the problem, apparently.

Thank God for that.