petconnection.com database: 1120 sickened; 502 dead from recall food

[NAO]

As of 5 PM EST, Wednesday March 21, petconnection.com has received reports of 1,120 animals sickened; of those 502 are dead.

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/

Petconnection.com is run by a high profile veterinarian. He realizes - as I hope everyone here does too - that the "10 dead cats" story the media keeps repeating is absolute nonsense. The problem is MUCH larger than this.

Lots of veterinarians have LOST THEIR OWN PETS to acute renal failure and their clinics have seen very abnormally high numbers of unexplained acute renal failure over the PAST FEW MONTHS (the poisoned food was on the shelves for nearly FOUR (4)MONTHS before the recall of 60 MILLION packets was finally issued on March 16.)

If you have had a pet in your family become seriously ill from kidney problems anytime since December - whether the pet is still with you of even if it passed or was euthanized months ago - petconnection.com needs you to enter your case into their database. Their site also directs you to the FDA site, with instructions on reporting the problem to the FDA.

Link to petconnection.com database entry form (with links to FDA reporting site):
http://www.petconnection.com/recall/

I sincerely hope that this nightmare ends soon, and that the worst is behind us - but even with top animal scientists and independent analytical labs working overtime, the STILL do not know what is making the pets sick. And the public perception that it has "killed 10 cats" only makes the problem seem minor, when it is in fact enormous.

[kaygore]

1. This is too cruel. But just think how the MSM will play it when

those dying are young children dur to the laws that the Republicans have eviscerated.

It's all about greed. Pure and simple. I hope they nail the bastards responsible for this happening.

[Erika]

3. Exactly, The GOP cut funds and regulations for health and safety

and it's all starting to show up. Damn them and their enablers. They did it to make an evil buck.

[IntravenousDemilo]

2. What's also troubling is that a some of the brands named are the same ones...

...that vets recommend and stock in their offices, like Eukanuba, Hill's, Science Diet, and Iams.

[SlipperySlope]

6. "some of the brands" = "one brand"

But now we've learned that all these fancy brands are really made by one company.

Make me feel stupid for paying extra when store brand was just the same.

[IntravenousDemilo]

15. You're right, of course.

Pretty well all VHS tapes were the same, too. I always suspected they were all made from one big roll of tape. So why not buy generic?

Same with gasoline. Shell is no better than Esso is no better than Amoco is no better than...

Luckily Alice the Cat prefers Whiskas, and she's just fine. She's an old cat (19), and I think she would have been particularly vulnerable.

[kestrel91316]

25. "...all these fancy brands are really made by one company..."?????

NO, THEY ARE NOT.

Much of the cuts and gravy type food in the US is made by Menu foods. Not all of it. Do we know if Friskies or Whiskas makes anything there? Purina?

Furthermore, cuts and gravy is only what - 11% of the pet food market? There are many different companies that make their own pet food. Purina. Hill's (dry and regular canned). Iams (dry and regular canned). Friskies. Whiskas. Etc etc etc.

They are NOT all the same company. They are competitors.

Menu foods makes so much of the cuts and gravy at their plant because the equipment to do so is very expensive and specialized and they are able to do the work on a contract basis cheap enough that many companies just have them do it, rather than build their own plants. This DOES mean, however, that much of that stuff is what we call GENERIC. If you read the labels, a lot of it says "distributed by" rather than "manufactured by", and that has always been known to be a RED FLAG for poor quality.

[hedgehog]

29. Processed on the same equipment, probably using some of the

same ingredients but possibly a different set of ingredients or a different balance of ingredients.

[kestrel91316]

31. Hil's uses the factory, but provides their own ingredients,

subject to their own stringent quality control standards rather than the ones provided by Menu Foods.

[kestrel91316]

24. These are owner reports, not reports by veterinarians.

I hate to say it, but owners can report anything. Anyone can report anything here, just MAKE STUFF UP. How do we know Eukanuba isn't doing fake "reporting" here to make Hill's look bad, or vice versa, and how do we know disgruntled malcontents with axes to grind aren't doing the same?

We don't know. This is not a valid database. The numbers are not likely to reflect reality. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry whose pet died in the last 6 months, and everyone whose pet had vomiting before it died, or had chronic renal failure, could be misinterpreting things and reporting.

So PLEASE take it with a large grain of salt.

[MADem]

4. Is there a list anywhere of all the brands of food affected?

In the interim, I'm going back to ye olde 'riso per canni' and ;human bean' leftovers, with a bit of cereal. The dogs are loving it. We just throw a bit more chow in the pot, and leave it at that.

[Princess Turandot]

8. here you go:

http://menufoods.com/recall/index.html

Be sure to click on the company name on the detail list. On the cat side, it looks like the products in question are all pouch or chunk style foods, as opposed to the pureed foods. My cats only lick the sauce (and leave the food) on those types so thankfully I never bother to buy them.

[MADem]

12. I never buy the chunk stuff, just the ground. I usually do end up giving them

oatmeal and dogfood meat and veggies, with some dry food.

In any event, the stuff I feed them isn't on the list.

Gotta figure some shithead either poisoned the food deliberately, or somehow some antifreeze got in the food.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Check out this thread. There are some answers and advice here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2775509&mesg_id=2775509

[kestrel91316]

26. Antifreeze has been tested for and NOT FOUND. That was one of

the first things they looked for.

Malicious poisoning? Who knows? I doubt it. No evidence of common toxins have been found.

Sloppy quality control? Trying to cut corners on quality to save money? Highly likely. This IS Amurka, after all, where corporate profits are far more important to some people than pets' lives. Or people's lives for that matter.

[SlipperySlope]

9. This is the list I saw

Americas Choice
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Cadillac
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Fine Feline Cat
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Meijer's Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro
Ol'Roy
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride
Preferred Pets
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Save-A-Lot
Schnucks
Science Diet
Shep Dog
Sophistacat
Special Kitty
Springfield Prize
Springsfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stop & Shop Companion
Tops Companion
Wegmans
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

[MADem]

13. Thanks, the link Turandot has, up thread, has the lot numbers and food types too.

My pets only eat the ground shit--but I think we're gonna go all SERIOUSLY old fashioned for awhile, and just cook a little extra food like they did in the old days. To hell with it. A dog's life is short enough!

[ComerPerro]

5. the people and company responsible should really pay for this

and the lawyer who organizes a class action suit is gonna make a lot of money. Rightly so

[Tsiyu]

7. kick nt

[MonkeyFunk]

10. God, what a nightmare....

thankfully, all my guys eat dry food. But I can't imagine how terrible this would be for the people who've lost their pets.

[NAO]

11. Please recommend & kick this thread so people know to report cases

I am sure that the numbers so far are just a tiny fraction of what has really happened.

At least petconnection.com is an open database and is not being controlled by the perp or the FDA, but it only works if people know about it.

Two friends of mine had cats die last month - one lady had two cats die the same day and another family put down a cat that had kidney failure. Nobody had ANY IDEA - even AFTER the recall was issued - that it might have been related. There are so many cases like this - where multiple pets in one household become sick and die at the same time. People have had to pay enormous vet bills and many have ultimately lost what the feel are members of their families. My heart goes out to everyone in this situation.

Pet Connection
http://www.petconnection.com

A DU'ers Blog with much condensed info:
http://2blackcats.wordpress.com

Please recommend and kick so people can become aware of how to report cases.

[MADem]

14. Happy to do it. NT

[rumpel]

16. I think it now warrants a letter to

congress

This is not acceptable and irresponsible.

Thanks for the post.

[WiseButAngrySara]

17. KNR. ...n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

18. K&R from me! This is really frightening...

:scared:

[thethinker]

20. This is the troubling part

Menu Foods did not tell the public for a very long time after they knew of the problem.

They have said they suspect a wheat gluten from a new supplier. They have refused to name the new supplier. They have said it came from a broker who had several sources of wheat gluten. This seems to me to be a cover up. They are giving this supplier ample time to destroy the product.

This product could have been sold to manufacturers who make food for people also. Has anyone checked?

[MADem]

21. Jesus, spoken like a member of the Bush administration!!!!

WE know, but we're not gonna TELL ya...because YOU don't have a need to know....

[NAO]

22. Database Update: 1,529 Pets Sickened; 529 Pets Deceased

From the PetConnection.com database. 6 a.m. PT:

Total reports of sick or dead pets: 1529
Deceased pets: 769
Of those:

Cats, deceased: 460
Dogs, deceased: 309

http://www.petconnection.com/blog

To report a sickened or deceased pet for entry into the database:
http://www.petconnection.com/recall

[Dover]

23. Pet Food Recommendation

It's more expensive but think of it as preventative medicine that will save heartache and vet bills down the road. Or just cook extra human food for your pet when you cook your own. Chicken is cheap.

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

[kestrel91316]

27. Pets didn't live very long back in the days when there WAS no commercial

pet food, and before the food out there was well-researched and regulated.

No need to go back to the dark ages, though it certainly will afford us vets much more opportunity to MAKE MONEY FROM THE SICK ANIMALS THAT RESULT FROM IMPROPER FEEDING.

Improved nutrition is one reason why the average life span for cats is now 15 years rather than 2 or 3.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. It's completely irrational. The problem is with a particular TYPE of food. DON'T FEED ANY CUTS AND GRAVY type foods at all until they get to the bottom of this.

[Dover]

28. I have no idea what you're ranting about. Are you objecting or agreeing with

my recommendation of commercial pet food?

Do you have a recommendation of your own?

[thethinker]

30. I could have fed my cat steak

7 days a week for a year instead of the vet I am going to have. My cat is still in the hospital and not doing any better.

[kestrel91316]

32. I don't agree with your recommendation to feed pets human foods.

But what do I know? I'm just a stupid veterinarian.

AFAIAC you are recommending going back to the frickin dark ages with that.

[Dover]

38. And what DO you recommend? A brand name would be helpful.

Are you saying that all the slop in many commercial foods is better than what's in Innova?

Puhleeze! Please let me know which of these ingredients in Innova you find objectionable:

Turkey
Chicken
Chicken Broth
Ground Brown Rice
Potatoes
Carrots
Herring
Natural Flavors
Whole Eggs
Apples
Alfalfa Sprouts
Cottage Cheese
Guar Gum
Herring Oil
Vitamins/Minerals
Sunflower Oil
Seaweed Extract
Sodium Phosphate
Garlic
Inulin
Sea Salt
Choline Chloride


http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=%2F%2Fproduct%5B@id%3D%2735%27%5D

Probably wouldn't take my pet to you.

[Lorien]

41. Innova is great stuff! I also feed mine Organix, Prairie Nature's Variety,

Serengeti, and Wellness "Core". All made with human grade, organic ingredients.

Here's what's in my kitties favorite, Prairie Nature's Variety freeze dried raw diet:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1335&-session=naturesvariety:186EFBAA07dcf2CE74KYG39A68D6

Ingredients
Chicken, Turkey, Turkey Liver, Turkey Hearts, Pumpkinseeds, Ground Chicken Bone, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseeds, Chicken Eggs, Montmorillonite Clay, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Sage, Clove

My cats also get a Wellness multivitamin to boost their taurine, though both Turkey Liver and hearts contain taurine.

And here's what in Hill's Science Diet, a favorite among heavily lobbied vets:

Ingredients
Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Brewers Rice, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Now tell me, which is closer to a cat's natural diet? Which has more wholesome ingredients?

[undeterred]

33. Email I just got from EUKANUBA/IAMS

P&G Pet Care Update on Menu Foods Recall


P&G Pet Care Update
March 22, 2007

We want to provide an update on the recent recall of “wet” pet foods produced by Menu Foods, Inc.

We are deeply saddened by this situation. We know it has caused a lot of concern and has touched pet lovers throughout North America, including our own employees. We’ve received a lot of questions, so we want to give you the latest information.

First, we want to assure you that this recall affects only a small portion of our “wet” pet food products manufactured at the Menu Foods plant in Emporia, Kansas. We have a variety of canned wet food products that are currently available on store shelves that are not affected in any way by this recall.

We also want to assure you that our Iams and Eukanuba dry foods are not affected by the recall, and are readily available in stores. These foods are not part of the recall – there are no concerns at all about dry food. P&G manufactures Iams and Eukanuba dry foods at our own plants, not at Menu Foods.

You may wonder why some “wet” food was produced at Menu Foods. In fact, virtually every pet food company commonly uses outside partners for special or small volume items. Nonetheless, the different branded products made by Menu are not “the same”. Our Iams and Eukanuba pet foods have unique recipes and important ingredient differences that distinguish them from other pet food brands.

Because of our concern for pets and their well-being, we took immediate action to voluntarily participate in Menu Foods’ “wet” food product recall and to work with retailers to get the small portion of our “wet” products affected by the recall off all store shelves in the U.S. and Canada.

Until the root cause of this pet health issue is found, we will not produce any more of these products at the Emporia plant. We’ll keep you updated when we have more information.

Pets are an important part of all of our families. P&G Pet Care employees share your concerns and are firmly committed to you and the health of your pet. We are working hard to respond to your questions, and provide the information and help you need. We value your trust and confidence during this extremely difficult time.

[hedgehog]

34. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if any pet actually got sick eating

Hills, Eukanuba or IAMS, or is this just a general precaution on their part because their stuff came out of the same plant at the critical period? I can understand being super cautious because apparently there is no information yet as to what made the animals sick. I know wheat gluten is suspected, but so far I haven't heard what if anything is wrong with the wheat gluten.

[undeterred]

36. I haven't heard anything, but this is expensive stuff

and I buy mine at the veterinarian where its even more expensive. So I would think deaths would be even more likely to be reported and people would be even more likely to be warned if it happened because people would be more litigious...

My dog doesn't really like the wet stuff anyway.

[JanMichael]

35. Iams cares very much about pets whose owners have credit cards

They don't give much of a damn about animals. I wouldn't feed Scout a bite of their corporate crap:

http://www.iamscruelty.com/

Watch the videos...sickening.

[piesRsquare]

40. Thanks, undeterred

Added that to the blog

http://2blackcats.wordpress.com/

[PhilipShore]

37. Perhaps, my cat got sick from that as well

I recently had to bring my cat to the vet, for what I thought was a kidney problem, it was not -- my cat seems to have recovered, well.

All because of Reagan's deregulation. Rotten food can be sold on the market these days.

[Lorien]

39. Avoid the problem by switch to foods with "human grade" and organic

ingredients.

Here's something I posted almost two years ago on the topic:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x4388 there are now many, many more brands to chose from than what I had listed at the time.

Once you understand what goes into those commercial "pet quality" foods you'll be surprised that there haven't been far more recalls. Normally, the poisoning of a pet takes a few more years on such diets and results in kidney failure, diabetes, and cancer. Many vets are becoming savvy to this issue and are warning pet owners about the dangers of pet grade ingredients, but still others are acting as salespeople for Iams, Science Diet, Purina and other companies who strongly lobby veterinarians to carry their brands.

[AZBlue]

42. Kick!

And recommended.