RELIEF!!!!! This is what we found on the Hills Science Diet Recall:

This recall only affects Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts canned products shipped and sold in the United States.

Hill's is voluntarily recalling the following feline products:

1. Science DietŪ Ocean Fish Dinner in Sauce Savory CutsŪ Kitten, 3 oz. and 5.5 oz.
2. Science DietŪ Beef Dinner in Gravy Savory CutsŪ Adult, 5.5 oz
3. Science DietŪ Chicken Dinner in Gravy Savory CutsŪ Adult, 5.5 oz.
4. Science DietŪ Ocean Fish Dinner in Sauce Savory CutsŪ Adult, 5.5 oz.
5. Science DietŪ Chicken Dinner in Gravy Savory CutsŪ Mature Adult 7+, 5.5 oz.

 

Evidently this pet food problem is wide spread. Store brands are affected too.
Mrs. B/B got some # of some Wal-Mart brand (Special Kitty).
#`s 681131 575416 for Beef.
#`s 681131 742429 for Duck w/ Wild Rice.
She found (2) each, (4) total.

 

I am good, thanks for the info, I buy my food at PetsSmart, my dog buddy eats Science Diet "DRY" food "not WET" that is..

 

Pebbles is suffering kidney failure due to tainted dog food!!



Rat Poison Found in Tainted Pet Food
By MARK JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
2 hours ago

ALBANY, N.Y. - Rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 17 cats and dogs, but scientists said Friday they still don't know how it got there and predicted more animal deaths would be linked to it.

After the announcement, the company that produced the food expanded its recall to include all 95 brands of the "cuts and gravy" style food, regardless of when they were produced. The company also said it would take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of the food.

The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

The federal government prohibits using aminopterin for killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said no criminal investigations had been launched.

The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and two dogs.

The latest death, a Yorkshire terrier named Pebbles, occurred Thursday. The dog died of kidney failure after eating some of the food. Her owner, Jeff Kerner, said he was contacting an attorney because he wanted to prevent another pet tragedy.

"Before they put this stuff in the bags, there should be some kind of test," said Kerner, of Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I can't just let it go. Even if they just change the law."

The company expanded the recall _ which initially covered only cans and pouches of food packaged from Dec. 3 through March 6 _ after the FDA alerted it that some products remained on store shelves.

There is no risk to pet owners from handling the food, officials said.

The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food. The gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but it could have been contaminated, the FDA said.

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, confirmed Friday that the wheat gluten was purchased from China.

Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Pest Management Association, said it would be unusual for the wheat to be tainted.

"It would make no sense to spray a crop itself with rodenticide," Rosenberg said, adding that grain shippers typically put bait stations around the perimeter of their storage facilities.

Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by the manufacturer and found aminopterin in two of them. The two labs are part of a network created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals and food supply safe.

"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.

Aminopterin is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, the amount of aminopterin found _ 40 parts per million _ can cause kidney failure, according to Bruce Akey, director of Cornell's diagnostic center.

"It's there in substantial amounts," Akey said.

Donald Smith, dean of Cornell's veterinary school, said he expected the number of pet deaths to increase. "Based on what we've heard the last couple days, 16 is a low number," Smith said.

Aminopterin is no longer marketed as a cancer drug, but is still used in research, said Andre Rosowsky, a chemist with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Rosowsky speculated that the substance would not show up in pet food "unless somebody put it there."

Henderson said Menu Foods does not believe the food was tampered with because the recalled food came from two different plants, one in Kansas, one in New Jersey. Menu continues to produce food at the two plants.

The company, already facing lawsuits, said Friday it is testing all the ingredients that go into the food.

"We have a lot of work to do, and we are eager to get back to it," Henderson said. "This is a highly unusual substance."

When asked whether there would compensation for medical bills for sick pets, Henderson said "to the extent that we identify that the cause of any expenses incurred are related to the food, Menu will take responsibility for that."

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://************/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.

 

Mrs. B/B , just informed me that my mother-law`s cat has been put to sleep from what is believed to be a case of this petfood poison.
She fed her cat the Wal-Mart brand exclusively.
The animal lost all control of it`s limbs. The Vet. said there was nothing he could do to reverse the condition, so they put it down.

 

Soory to hear that about your mother-in-laws cat.
Sounds like for a while all animals should be feed human food till this has been stoped.
Don't start on they can not eat people food!
Just open a can of Tuna.

 

My boys are sorta shocked, they like cats.
Although I/We have a cat, and I`m the one who has brought all the cats to our house, I don`t like cats. I like them when they are kittens, that growing up thing is a side effect they have.

 

We like kitties, though they do this:



BTW. Our store cat , Duncan was being fed the Wet IAMS food. I have stopped that nd he seems fine. Today he ate a hamburger.
I just started feeding him that food last week as he has had trouble keeping weight on and folks suggested the higher end food. Otherwise I had been giving him kitten chow ( Higher in fat etc ) dry food.


DUNCAN K KITTY

 

All dogs in Texas eat table food.

 

NY Lab Doing Further Pet Food Testing
By MARK JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
4 hours ago

ALBANY, N.Y. - The laboratory that identified the poison believed to be responsible for the death of pets around the country has started testing individual components of the tainted pet food to determine which ingredient was contaminated, officials said Monday.

Scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory on Friday identified aminopterin as the likely culprit in a poisoning scare that prompted the recall of 95 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food.

Department of Agriculture and Markets spokeswoman Jessica Chittenden did not know when the lab would have results from the new tests.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten. Stephen Sundlof, the federal agency's top veterinarian, said Friday it remains the suspected source of the contamination.

Scientists so far have offered no theories on how aminopterin got into the products of Menu Foods, which makes pet food for most of North America's top retailers. Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid, can cause cancer and birth defects in humans and can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats. Its use as a rodent poison is banned in the United States.

Some pets that ate the food suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog. The FDA has reported more than 4,400 calls from concerned pet owners.

Cornell University's veterinary school also is testing the food. Dr. Donald Smith, dean of the school, said the tests of the individual food components would likely take days.

"It's a very challenging set of procedures," he said. "We have to keep in mind there are other things out there that could potentially be hazardous. We are working very hard to confirm it was aminopterin."

Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by the manufacturer and found aminopterin in two of them, the labs announced Friday. The two labs are part of a network created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals and food supply safe.

The company recalled products packaged from Dec. 3 to March 6 and advised retailers last week to remove all the products from their shelves to verify the dates they were packaged. Products not made between those dates can still be sold.

FBI spokesman Stephen Kodak said the agency is "not involved in any way, shape, or form." He said the FBI would likely only get involved if evidence pointed to the products being tampered with while on store shelves.

Chittenden said any criminal investigation would have to be initiated by the FDA.