Public Post about Pet Food Recall IMPORTANT

March 21, 2007: ( UPDATE ON FDA CONTACT BELOW CUT... )

March 19, 2007: Gotta clean this post up!

MENU FOODS RECALLING PET FOOD: SIGNS OF KIDNEY FAILURE IN CATS AND DOGS
CNN story link is here

Menu Foods, which supplies "chunk" cat and dog food to many major manufacturers, is recalling a ton of cat and dog food after 10 animals died and scores of others developed kidney failure after eating the food. My own cat ate that food (we checked the lot numbers and hers is the magic number *sigh*), and she was diagnosed with kidney failure last week.

They don't know why the animals have developed kidney failure, nor what happens next. I spoke to my vet this morning, and she has no more information than the rest of us do. She suggested that I call Menu Foods and find out what else they know. I doubt it will be much, but I'll update here if they tell me anything worth passing on.

So, if you have a cat or dog, no matter what kind of wet food you feed him or her, please go to one of the following websites and make sure your animal isn't eating this food (and please check your lot numbers carefully before you call the vet. Mine's currently being bombarded by calls--some from people who don't even give their animals chunk wet food!). And if you have the food in your house, STOP FEEDING IT TO YOUR PET, call your vet, and find out if the animal should be tested. You should check the links below on information about the symptoms of kidney failure in dogs and cats. If your animal has these signs, PLEASE get him or her tested. Cats, at least, can live for a good long time with kidney failure if properly cared for.

NOTE: IAMS AND EUKANUBA are included in this recall, though the Proctor & Gamble name is not included in the Menu Foods website recall list! CHECK YOUR FOOD! Hill's Science Diet and MIGHTY DOG are also included (see below).

( Informational Links )

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( Information on my own attempts to contact the involved parties... )

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Phone Numbers and Information on Making Claims

Menu Foods: 1-866-895-2708 (I love that they now have a link to a press release that says they've "enhanced" their site. It's exactly the same and there's still no way to contact them via email!)

The US Food and Drug Administration: Go to the FDA's Complaints Site, which has phone numbers for all the states. I called and left my information at the one here in Chicago on Saturday. They were closed, but they were supposed to call me back today. Nothing yet. Also, I have no email for them, either.

Howl911 resource site: The web site Howl911 has a comprehensive list of who to contact for your individual brand. Again, I called Iams on Saturday and was promised a call by the end of the day, but I've yet to receive one.

Recall Report Blogspot: A blogspot has been set up to allow people to unofficially report to the world the status of their pets following this debacle. Don't read this if you cry easily. Hell, even if you don't, it just makes me damn glad my little one eats so damn little wet food! At least she's better off than many of the ones there who lived!

Pet Connection Pet Connection is gathering data to find out the scope of the damage and the types of pets involved--Please log your pet in if your pet is sick or has died as a result of this. The numbers of sick and dead released by the companies seem woefully inadequate, just given the number of anecdotal stories I've heard in the last few days. Also, there's a link to a pdf with some info on what you should be doing for your pet if you think he or she has been eating the contaminated food.

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Please feel free to run through the comments here. I've tried to update the post with information as soon as people give it to me, but I might miss a few things here and there.

And thanks to all who've expressed their fond wishes for my little one. She's hanging in for now--actually seems to be feeling okay. She probably won't have another set of bloodwork for another couple of weeks (have to talk to the vet about that when I go in to pick up her prescription food this evening), but I'm hopeful that we can keep her at the health level she's at now for a good long time.

My sympathies to everyone who has lost a pet or had a pet sickened by this.