APRIL 4, 2007WHAT WE KNOW

WHAT WE DON’T KNOWWHAT WE SAY!

Menu Foods Recall

What we know

On March 16th, a ‘precautionary recall’ was initiated of ‘cuts and gravy’ type pet foods manufactured under contract by Menu Foods Income Fund.

Menu Foods produces food for many companies at their facility, each individual company’s food is manufactured to their own specifications

The food affected by the recall was produced and distributed between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007.

The animals affected by the contaminated food(s) are experiencing acute renal failure

The source of the contamination is suspected to be wheat gluten, which came from a new supplier during that period.

Testing started when cats in an in-house taste trial became sick.

The recall and additional testing began when reports started coming in that pets were being affected by foods.

What we know

Pets eating the affected foods are reported to become ill within 1-12 hours of eating the food.

The initial recall included all foods manufactured in the same plants with the same methods.

Wheat gluten itself is not a toxic substance Wheat gluten is imported from China routinely because a lot

more is produced there – it is popular as a protein substitute. Corn gluten is more available and prevalent in the US.

The recall has since expanded to include foods from other pet food manufacturers that are known to contain wheat gluten from the same supplier that Menu Foods used.

Aminopterin and melamine, both chemicals that are not supposed to be in food, were located in the foods by separate labs.

The melamine is present in a high enough concentration that it might be an effective way to test urine or tissues for signs of exposure to the contaminated foods.

What we know

The current recall includes:All the foods on the Menu Foods recall listPurina Mighty Dog Cuts and GravyPurina Alpo Prime Cuts in GravyScience Diet M/D DRYDel Monte Pet Treats

We have printed lists of the food that have been recalled; clients can get the information at www.menufoods.com/recall, www.AVMA.org, www.FDA.gov

What we know

There are no other Science Diet foods that contain wheat gluten

There are no IAMs/Eukanuba dry foods that contain wheat gluten

The recent recalls of foods NOT on Menu Food’s list were voluntary recalls, done in a precautionary/preventive sense. We have not heard of any illness related to the feeding of those foods.

All the ingredients that go into pet foods are tightly regulated and tested. As the current difficulty indicates, we are dealing with a contaminate or toxin that is not one that is easily identified

What we don’t know

We don’t know if the chemicals found at this point could cause the signs seen in the sick animals.

WDK what specific foods were truly causing illness – all foods that have wheat gluten from the suspect source have been pulled, but the specific foods that caused problems have not been made public. This means that animals fed a food from the recall list may or may not have been exposed to the toxic agent.

WDK the long-term effects at this time for animals exposed but not sick

What we say!

If clients have questions about foods on the list, refer them to the websites to check for the codes. If they are unable to do that, take the information (Brand, type, exp. Date, lot number) and offer to call them. If you know the food is not on the list, let them know.

If clients call with pets showing ARF signs, schedule an appointment ASAP. Ask them to bring the food they were feeding.

If clients call for diet recommendations, find out if they were eating recalled food, and if they were on a prescription diet (M/D) if they are on normal food, we are recommending Science Diet, Eukanuba maintenance dry foods, and canned food from a high quality brand such as those that is formulated in the ‘loaf’ style (not chunks and gravy)

We are recommending that any pet eating the recalled foods be screened for kidney disease with a Renal Panel through Antech. This provides us with blood and urine assessments of the kidneys’ function.

What we say!

Pets that are showing signs of kidney disease should have a full CP, CBC, and UA run. The doctor will determine whether tests are to be run in-house or through Antech.

We need to keep a positive focus on this problem. We do our profession and our pet food industry a disservice if we play into the fear, complaining, and berating of our clients. We are here to be the voice of reason and a help to our clients.

What we say!

Focus on: We CAN do tests to find out if your pet was affected. We CAN make diet recommendations for you If you are interested in homemade food, we CAN

have one of our doctors help you balance your diet and advise you in food for your pet.

The pet food companies are doing all they can to find the problem and prevent it in the future

The pet food companies are being very proactive by expanding the recall

What else is being recalled?

Eight in One announced recalls of their Dingo Chick’n Jerky treats for dogs, cats, and ferrets because of possible Salmonella contamination.

Eukanuba has agreed to remove Chromium tripicolinate from their weight loss foods in response to the FDA’s request for removal of the supplement. This was not related to reports of toxicity or illness. It resulted from a lack of data and rules governing the use of C.t. in pet foods.

There have been 7 human food recalls (for separate reasons) in the last 5 days.