Heads up: Purina is recalling Alpo canned food! Iams given FDA warning.

[Doremus]

http://www.purina.com/Company/Press/2007/MightyDog.aspx

"Nestlé Purina PetCare Company today announced it is voluntarily recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. The Company is taking this voluntary action after learning today that wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, was provided to Purina by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods. The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina's 17 pet food manufacturing facilities. (snip)"

Also yesterday, the FDA issued a formal warning to Iams and Eukanuba for using a form of chromium in some of their brands:

"The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it has issued a warning letter to Iams Co. that says some of its diet pet foods contain an unapproved substance.

Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Optimum Weight Control/Canine dry, Optimum Weight Control/Feline dry, Restricted-Calorie/Canine dry and canned, and Restricted-Calorie/Feline dry and canned contain chromium tripicolinate, which is not an approved food supplement, the FDA said. (snip)"

Amazingly, Iams had asked the FDA sometime in 2006 if they could use chromium tripicolinate in some of its products and the FDA SAID NO. Apparently Iams went ahead and started using it anyway!


Meanwhile, the NYT today has some interesting dialogue with the lab that originally found aminopterin regarding melamine:

“We don’t think this is the final conclusion,” said Jessica A. Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the New York State Departmention Agriculture and Markets. “Melamine is not a known toxin. There’s not enough data to show that it is toxic to cats.”

“We are confident we found aminopterin, and it makes sense with the pathology,” Ms. Chittenden added. She also said another laboratory, Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph in Canada, had also confirmed the presence of aminopterin in the samples. (snip)

A scientist at the Dept. of Agriculture agrees:

“It’s not what I would consider to be a particularly toxic material,” said Daniel R. Shelton, a scientist at the federal Department of Agriculture, who published a study on melamine’s potential to be a slow release fertilizer in 1997.

“It doesn’t compute for me” that the melamine would sicken pets, Dr. Shelton said."


Be careful what you feed your furbabies, folks. The bottom line of all this confusion is they don't know what's making pets sick. Hell, they don't even know with any certainty that the contaminate(s) aren't in OUR food supply!

"Patrick Hooker, the New York State agricultural commissioner, said, “We believe the laboratories involved in this investigation should continue to maintain an open forum to definitively identify the one or more agents that are causing the deaths and illnesses of cats and dogs so that they do not enter the animal or human food chain in the future.”

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. thanks for this update.

time to boycotte Iams. Shut them down. What a great rep they had due to their advertising. The reality is completely different.

[1monster]

2. Alpo was the only food my dog would eat. She had always been

very healthy right up until a month before she died... Sudden kidney failure.

Although this was a year or so ago, I wonder...

[Rhiannon12866]

29. This horrific situation is enough to make anyone paranoid.

I also lost a dog to sudden kidney failure, but this was in 1993 and he was 18 1/2, but I've still wondered about it, since he ate Science Diet. *sigh* You might want to run this by your vet, so you'll have peace of mind. I took my little guys to the vet this week and you can be sure that I asked him all about this.:scared:

[bamademo]

3. Is there anything left to feed my furry ones?

I guess I'll have to make my own dog and cat food. I feed the dogs and the cat Purina dry food.

Does anyone else besides me blame Bush for this? My friends laugh at me for blaming Bush for everything but as I asked a friend the other day, "Do you trust Bush's FDA?". The answer was no.

[youngdem]

8. I feed my dog California Natural. Lamb & Rice

Five ingredients. No wheat. No gluten. No water. No processed shit. No corn. No sugar. And the whole family of foods made by them is unaffected by the recall.

Lamb. Two kinds of rice. Vitamins and Minerals. That's it.

And your dog doesn't have to eat as much because the food is higher in protein than many wet foods.

[ixion]

4. with all the chemicals used in food products, I'm surprised it took this long.

For years they've been claiming all these additives were safe, despite real-world evidence to the contrary. Are household pets the canary-in-the-coal-mine?

[CrazyOrangeCat]

6. yes.

sadly, I think that's exactly what's happening.

it's bad enough that these friends only live fifteen years . . .

something tells me a lot of them won't make it near that long.

Repuke greed is behind the total lack of oversight in ANYTHING anymore.

Interestingly, EVERYONE, no matter their political views, is very pissed about this.

So your canary analogy is very apt--the reaction to this alert means things WILL change.

[MoonRiver]

5. Last night we went to our local health food grocery store

and purchased Paul Newman's dog food and treats. Our little (and picky) dog seems to like the dog food but not the treats. Unfortunately, she loved Hills food and treats. I don't know whether to throw our remaining Hills food away or give it to our local Humane Society. Haven't heard that Hills dry is dangerous but the way this is going it could be announced any day. Don't want to poison any innocent babies. We decided not to take any chances again, EVER, with our dog. She's on Paul Newman from here on out. Animal shelter dogs probably are being given whatever is cheaper. Hills might be the least risky of all choices for them.

[catgirl]

18. Careful... Newman's Organics is made by Menu Foods

PetGuard turkey and rice doesn't have wheat, corn, or soy.

[MoonRiver]

28. Thanks! I thought it was completely safe.

Do you know which is the safest dog food? I've heard about California something, Natura and Natural Balance.

[Akoto]

7. I don't know what to feed my dogs anymore.

It's not as simple as throwing together some poultry and veggies for me. One of my dogs has colitis and suffers when fed the wrong food. Raw people food tends to have a bad effect on him.

Nutro Natural (dry) was something that both dogs would eat, and it didn't bug the little guy's medical issue. I switched them to Purina dry after this problem came up, and they also seem to be okay on that. Now, with this new recall, I don't know what to do. :(

[Doremus]

11. Akoto, there are a number of good quality pet foods.

Nutro was considered a decent food, but I don't blame you for losing confidence in them. I wouldn't switch to Purina though, simply because it's loaded with fillers and preservatives.

This site has a comprehensive list of good quality pet foods:

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

[juno jones]

9. My cats are doing OK

I'm feeding them friskies wet and 'nutra nuggets' (a brand I buy at costco and my local grocery). I would like to go organic, but the cost is currently prohibitive for me.
I offer this as a suggestion for those who are needing to change foods, but are worried about the cost...

[Doremus]

13. Beware of 'nugget' or 'chunks' food!

Those nuggets or chunks and gravy are often comprised mostly of fillers -- that's why those made by Menu Foods have been recalled.

Feeding your pet a quality food doesn't cost very much more than grocery store brands. Why? Because they don't use fillers and your pet eats less.

Healthier pets = lower vet bills too.

Here is a list of good quality foods:

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

[Rhiannon12866]

30. I've checked all the cans in the cupboard to make sure that none of them contain wheat gluten.

That seems to be the culprit, since this is what's tainted. With three dogs in the house, of different sizes and ages, we have several kinds of food and I read the ingredients on all of them, and also ran it by my vet. This is so widespread and just seems to get worse, so you can't be too careful...:scared:

[mnhtnbb]

10. Just checked our dog food supply--none of the cans are ones mentioned But...

our old girl had a horrendous episode of vomiting about 2 weeks ago. Wonder if she could have gotten one of the tainted cans?

We've fed her nothing but Purina and Alpo her whole life. She came to us from the animal shelter almost 12 years ago, so we think she's at least 13.
That's a long life for a 60 lb dog.

[Doremus]

15. Alpo and Purina have a lot of fillers and preservatives.

Check my post #9 for a link to a page that has comprehensive information on what to look for in pet foods -- as well as a list of good quality foods.

Give your old girl a hug from me!

[mnhtnbb]

22. Thanks for the link--and the hug! My point was that even on

an inexpensive combination of dry/canned food, our dog has led a healthy
and long life.

[Rhiannon12866]

31. Check the ingredients on the food.

I checked every can of dog food in the house to see if any of them contained wheat gluten. That seems to be what's the tainted ingredient. I also ran this by my vet, since this is so widespread and just seems to be getting worse. 13 is an impressive age for a dog that size and she was very fortunate to have found you. My dog is 13, as well, but he only weighs eight pounds.:-)

On edit: My house mate's dog also eats Alpo, so I checked those cans, too. The Diced Cuts Simmered in Sauce and the Prime Cuts in Gravy contain wheat gluten, so those are going in the trash. The Hearty Classics without Gravy don't contain wheat gluten, so that's what he's going to be eating, even though he prefers the other ones...:scared:

[femmedem]

12. Recommended. n/t

[LiberalHeart]

14. And look at THIS....

But FDA officials caution that melamine might not be the culprit they're after.

"We are not fully yet certain that melamine is the causative agent of illness and death in pets," said Dr. Stephen Sundolf of the FDA Veterinary Center.

_____

If it's taking this long for the gov agency in charge of protecting our food supply to find out what's killing the animals, how long would it take them to spot and identify problems in the food humans eat? If I were a conspiracy theory fan, I'd say this is a test program by the government to see how detection works and how far spread problems can be from tainted ingredients that work over time rather than immediately. Sorta like when they spray stuff in a park to see how people are affected.

[napi21]

16. I have 3 cans of Alpo canned dog food here. I went to the linked website and double checked to

make sureit wasn't one on the list. They are NOT! I believe the dry food is fine, with the one exception of Hills Prescriiption Diet mentioned yesterday.

If you read all the various articles that have been published in the last 2 weeks or so since the original recall, it becomes apparent that the wheat gluten is simply NOTused in the dry foods.

The other thing that surprised me was how many "Premium name brand" canned pet foods were contracted out to Menu Foods! I know when I saw Iams or Science Diet on the label, I assumed it was MADE by the makers of Iams & Hills. AHH well, we all know the definition of ASSUME!

I feed my 4 Bichons Kibbles & Bits canned served over Kirkland small bites dry food that I buy at Costco. Kibbles & Bits is made by Del Monte Pet foods in Pittsburgh, Pa. and I double checked their site to make sure THEY actually made it and there were no problems. They specifically state NONE of Del Monte pet food products contain wheat gluten and NONE of included in the recalled products. The Kirkland dry food is mand by Diamond Pet foods in S.C. Yes, I know they did have their own recall several years ago. It was caught, the problem was corrected.

There have been isolated problems with different foodsover the years, both pet & human. BUT there seems to be more now that Ican ever recall! Green onions, spinach, peanut butter, now pet food. I honestly think this is an example of what happens when the #1 goal is to be the lowest cost producer, and our gov't reduces regulation controls to "help businesses save money" and fatten their bottom line! We should all complain toour Representatives, our Presitentand to the FDA. NONE of them are doing their job!!!

[Doremus]

17. Better yet, read the labels.

It's good to know where your pet food is made, but an even better indicator of quality is the ingredients list.

There shouldn't be any wheat or corn in it at all. There shouldn't be any byproducts in it at all. There shouldn't be any preservatives in it at all.

Most grocery store brands, including the so-called premium brands like Eukanuba and Iams, have one or all of these.

Be careful. Read labels.

[catgirl]

19. FDA rules are weak

their rules state that pet food companies must list who the manufacturer OR
the distributer is, so it's not always easy to trace it to Menu Foods.

[Doremus]

26. That's right. All the more reason to read the ingredients.

No wheat.
No corn.
No fillers.
No meat byproducts.
No preservatives.

Just good, wholesome ingredients. If you can't pronounce the chemical names, it's probably not something you need/want.

[progressivebydesign]

25. I worked for a natural pet food company for a while..

as a demo person. I learned a lot about pet food. And I learned that Iams and Science Diet were basically corporate food marketed to vet's offices, but no better than any other food.

I completely agree with you that all of this is total failure of our food-producing system in AMerica, because of corporate greed (via relaxed regulations). This may be the top of the hill for these things, and with the new Democratic Congress, perhaps we'll see corporations being held accountable for their cost-cutting thievery. For some reason, people of both parties are much more likely to become active about this when pets are harmed.. it's human nature.

[Dover]

20. WHO is the supplier and WHY won't they identify them??!!!

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.

[kestrel91316]

21. I believe the FDA HAS informed those who got gluten from that

supplier, who are currently the only ones with the need to know.

Remember, aminopterin (which CAN cause ARF) has NOT been verified to be found in affected pets or the wheat gluten.

And melamine, which HAS been found in affected pets and the wheat gluten, is considered unlikely to have caused any illness.

This mystery is still a long way from solved, it appears.

If the public were told the name of the company, I suspect everyone involved with it would be at risk of assassination, justifiably or not. So the FDA has to proceed very cautiously.

And yes, I know personally what it is like to be falsely accused of something very serious. I don't want it happening to ANYONE.

[mnhtnbb]

23. Want to take a guess? The plant with the problems for Alpo is in Crete, NE

Anyone want to hazard a guess that ConAgra might be involved?

[catgirl]

34. There in bed together

Talk about a conflict of interest. Who's protecting who? I sense a
bigger scandal brewing. And why aren't the real numbers of dead
and sickened animals being revealed? The FDA is crooked and the
many companies involved here are simply greedy.

[progressivebydesign]

24. My dogs got violently ill from Prime Cuts recently...

I have never seen a dog so ill that way. My lab didn't get as sick. We thought at first that the mini Aussie was allergic to the dyes in the food or something, as she had gotten sick the week before from food from the same purchase, but then the lab got sick too. I only hope that this did not do permanent damage to their kidneys. We had NO idea it was not just a virus.. or something. No way of knowing. Alpo can pay for the cost of cleaning every single carpet and piece of furniture in my house...

Apprently the Midwest farmers no longer exist, because we have to import WHEAT from China now. Or perhaps it's because of the corporate assholes who will endanger everyone to make a buck.

On edit: How ironic that the plant that produced the cans of Prime Cuts (with IMPORTED WHEAT GLUTEN) is IN Nebraska, where wheat is actually grown, but now imported. Gotta love the corporate pigs.. not.

[Cooley Hurd]

27. Kick - I've been feeding Chuckiemutt the Alpo Cuts & Gravy mixed w/ his dry food...

GodDAMN it!!!!:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[swishyfeet]

32. Keep in mind, whatever goes in Fido's mouth must come out it's Dick Cheney eventually...

Cheap, corn-filled food tends to just produce more and bigger Roves (kinda squishy too) from my Lucy. Good quality dog food tends to produce firm, dense Coulters - much easier to pickup, but still thoroughly foul.

[glitch]

36. Welcome to DU! Thanks for the laugh :) nt

[TZ]

33. is there no end to this mess?

I hope that someone (Congress most likely) can give the FDA teeth for enforcement. The fact that Iams IGNORED the FDA's warning is very disturbing.:scared:

[Celebration]

35. Have our bees been hanging around catfood? n/t