Rat Poison found in pet food

[eefanincan]

ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 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.

Also Friday, 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 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 United States. 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 one dog.

The company expanded the recall -- which initially covered only cans and pouches of food packaged from December 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.

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 September 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."

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, said the company 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."

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

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I can't imagine how this would stuff would get into the food supply, especially this with it being manufactured in two separate plants. To me it still sounds like it was tampered with.... just because the recalled food came from two plants doesn't mean that the stuff that actually had the poison in it came from both. I suppose time will tell, but I wonder how many dogs and cats were affected in the mean time.

[Aja]

I have followed this story from the first day .... and was on the menu site in seconds ...I love My husky... I breathed a sigh of relief.. when I realized was canned food and moist food ..as kilo is only fed *trader Joes dried dog food* and peoples food ....

what pissed me off most about this whole thing was .. when the law suits were mentioned

They said basicly that a pet was like a peice of furniture .... and that basicly You would only get back the price that u had paid for your pet....

Well try explaining that to a six year old ... that thinks her nanas husky is not only her best friend .....But her big brother......

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr



Yes shes feeding him grapes .........lol

[Skylace]

I was following it from the start too. My one dog loves Iams wet food and that is what we get her. I was in a panic. Checked the bottom of the cans and we are okay.
They have taken all the food off the shelves here and I won't be buying it anytime soon.

I'm with you Aja, dogs are more then furniture, they're family.

[Aja]

sorry added the pic after ......

[Skylace]

Lovely pic! Want to squeeze!

[Aja]

Thats my 2 babies ...... Who the hell are they to say .....that your babies are worth face Value

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Aja]

Abbi and kiras *furniture*

[Skylace]

[Skylace]

[pirtybirdy]

My mother's cat died not that long ago. The doctor said he was having kidney failure, but he said it's because that happens to old cats often. I wonder if it was morning wet cat food my mom used to give him. His normal food was dry food. I hope it wasn't a massive poisoning. :-(

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[eefanincan]

Gorgeous dogs Aja!

Couldn't resist posting one Beaker's latest:

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[Skylace]