November 12, 2009                      Cow Hooves and Pig Ears contaminated with Salmonella

Pig Ears and Cow Hoof treats produced by Pet Carousel may  be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, and should be avoided.  The hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley's, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel.  Pig ears were packed under the brand names of Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel.

October 27, 2009                           Companies recall pet foods after issues with thiamine, mold, plastic

Several companies have recently recalled certain cat foods deficient in thiamine, dog foods containing mold, and dog foods that could contain plastic.

Diamond Pet Foods recalled several lots of cat foods deficient in thiamine that Diamond manufactured for Premium Edge Pet Foods. The recall applies to Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat food and Premium Edge Adult Cat Hairball Management food with date codes of RAF0501A22X 18 lb., RAF0501A2X 6 lb., RAF0802B12X 18 lb. (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18 lb., RAH0501A2X 6 lb. The dates of manufacture are May 28 and Aug. 30.

Wysong recalled certain lots of dry dog foods containing mold—but no mycotoxins—that the company manufactured in June and July. The recall affects lots 090617, 090624, 090706, and 090720 of Wysong Maintenance dog food and lot 090623 of Wysong Senior dog food.

Nutro Products recalled several lots of dog foods with a best-by date of Sept. 10 after finding pieces of a worker’s plastic hat in the production line. The company determined that the final products probably did not contain any plastic.

The recall applies to Nutro Ultra Puppy food in 4.5-pound packages, bar code 79105 51313, and Nutro Natural Choice: Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites Puppy food in 5-pound packages, bar code 79105 23050, from PetSmart stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The recall also affects Nutro Ultra Puppy food in 30-pound packages, bar code 79105 51315, from Petco stores in California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.

AVMA News Bulletin Tuesday, October 27, 2009





May 2009:  Nutro has voluntarily recalled a number of varieties of their Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care dry cat foods and Nutro Max dry foods with "Best if used by dates" between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010.  The minerals in the foods were added in the wrong proportions, resulting in too much zinc and not enough potassium. For more information, go to the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/nutro05_09.html.


February 2009:  Chicken Jerky Treats by all manufacturers are still not safe.  Investigation by the FDA has not revealed a toxin or bacterial contamination, but dogs are still getting sick with vomiting, diarrhea, and lack of appetite.  Until the problems are resolved, don't feed these goodies.

February 2009:  The peanut butter contamination problem that has caused 9 human deaths and hundreds of illnesses has spread to pet food.  Avoid all pet foods that contain peanut butter or peanuts until this problem is solved.

September, 2008: Mars Petcare, makers of a number of pet foods, issued a voluntary recall of foods produced at their Everson, Pennsylvania facility because of potential Salmonella contamination.  No confirmed cases of Salmonella have resulted, but the company is being careful (good for them!).  The foods involved were produced from Feb 2008 thru July 29, 2008, when the plant was closed.

October, 2007:  Chicken jerky treats from a number of brands have caused kidney damage.  See "News" on the menu to the left for more details.

August, 2007
On August 21, Wal-Mart announced a voluntary recall of their Chicken Jerky Treats.  Low levels of Melamine were found in the products.  The FDA has not confirmed that the treats are dangerous, but Wal-Mart has taken them off the shelf, and will replace any of the product that consumers have purchased.  There is no confirmed evidence that these treats have caused illness in any pets, but pet owners should not feed the Wal-Mart Jerky Treats.

April, 2007:
 Poisonings caused by contamination of many common dog and cat foods have claimed dozens of lives this year. Tests eventually implicated  metabolic by-products of the chemical Melamine, a substance found in fertilizers and plastics.  Melamine is only toxic when combined with Cyanuric acid, which was also present in the foods.  Initially the foods Over 100 dog and cat foods were recalled.  At first all of the  foods involved were all canned foods or "pouch" foods, typically foods in a "chunks and gravy" style.  At least 1 dry food and several dog and cat treats have joined the list.  Wheat gluten was the source of the original recall, but now foods containing a rice protein product have been found to contain Melamine as well, and these foods have been recalled.
Eventually other foods were added to the recall, including  m/d Prescription Dry cat food by Hills (no other Hills diets use the suspect wheat gluten), Alpo chunky canned food, and Del Monte's Jerky Treats Beef Flavour Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats.  Natural  Balance foods and treats have been recalled due to rice proteins. As far as we know, other foods containing rice are safe.

Information on the specific foods and production lot numbers can be found on the FDA website at fda.gov.  

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOUR PET HAS EATEN A SUSPECTED CONTAMINATED FOOD?
Stop feeding the food immediately.  Even if the lot number of the food is different, do not feed the food, in case the recall is expanded to other lots.  Save the cans or pouches in case further investigation is needed.
Take your dog or cat to your veterinarian to have blood or urine tests to determine if the kidneys may be affected.  Some animals may look normal for several days before appearing ill, but tests will reveal whether the kidneys have been damaged.