Pet Food Recall
Frequently Asked Questions |
[Last updated on April 2, 2007] |
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| Following are answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) being asked by clients of The Animal Medical Center. The answers are provided by Dr. Ann E. Hohenhaus, Chairman, Dept. of Medicine, and Dr. Cathy Langston, head of the Renal Medicine Service. |
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ACTION STEPS |
| Q: What are the recalled foods? |
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A: Since the time that information was originally posted on this site, additional recalls have been made
by different manufacturers who may have used wheat gluten from a particular supplier in China. Although
there are different opinions about the identity of the actual contaminant in the wheat gluten, manufacturers
who have used this particular brand are instigating recalls of the foods.
For the most updated information on all the major distributors’ recalled foods, please visit:
www.FDA.gov or www.AVMA.org
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| Q: Please review for me, one more time, the steps I should take if I think my pet has eaten any of the recalled food or is not acting normally. |
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A: Check to see if you have any of the recalled foods. [See information above
in first question.] If your pet may have eaten any of them, take your pet to a veterinarian. The tests to
determine if a pet is in renal failure are simple blood and urine tests – they take 24 hours or less for results
and have no side effects.
Here are recommendations based on three possible scenarios:
1. If your pet has not eaten any of the recalled foods and is normal, you should not worry.
2. If your pet has eaten a recalled pet food, he or she should be seen by a veterinarian whether or not the pet is sick. Some pets appear well but have abnormal tests. Because the alleged contaminants found in the recalled pet food appear to affect the kidneys and one unconfirmed contaminant may affect blood cell count, blood tests should be done to check kidney function and cell counts. A urine test is also needed to monitor kidney function.
3. If your pet is sick and has eaten the recalled foods, your veterinarian will make a determination if hospitalization is required. |
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| Q: My animals were on a steady diet of one of the recalled brands. I switched brands approximately six weeks ago. Are my pets still in danger? |
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| A: The time course between eating the recalled food and developing renal failure is currently unknown. Some cases appear to have a rapid onset of kidney failure; others seem to have kidney damage occurring slowly over time. You should have your pet tested if it consumed the recalled diets. |
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DEFINITION OF RENAL FAILURE AND SYMPTOMS |
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Q: What exactly is renal failure? Can my pet have renal failure and still be alive? |
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| A: Renal failure means that the kidneys are not working to remove toxins from your pet's body. Your pet can be alive and be in renal failure. Most of the time, the symptoms of renal failure are decreased appetite, lethargy, vomiting, maybe diarrhea; increased water consumption, increased or decreased urine production. In cats that use a litter box, you may notice a need to change the box more often than usual. Dogs may ask to go outside more often or the well-housebroken dog may have accidents. It is important to note that animals can be in renal failure and NOT exhibit any of the above symptoms. Again, if you suspect that your pet ate some of the recalled foods, take him or her to a veterinarian. |
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TREATMENT OPTIONS |
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Q: If my pet ate the recalled food and is not well, what are the treatment options? |
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| A: Fluid therapy – flushing the kidneys with fluids to remove the toxins – is the mainstay of treatment, as it is for practically all kidney failure. Adequate hydration is important in preventing toxicity from the alleged contaminants; most of the dogs and cats treated have been very responsive to fluid treatment. Dialysis, in which the function of the kidneys is taken over mechanically, is recommended when the kidneys are seriously compromised. |
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THE POISONOUS INGREDIENT |
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Q: What do we know about the poisonous ingredient? |
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| A: Currently, there is only speculation as to the cause of pets' renal failure. A rat poison (and a cancer-fighting agent for humans), aminopterin, was found by the New York State Food Laboratory in containers of cat food. Aminopterin can cause renal failure. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration says it found something else, melamine, in the food. According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), melamine is used to make durable household products; cleaning products; hard, stain-resistant laminates; flame-retardant foam, soundproofing and fertilizer. They also say that melamine itself has a relatively high safety margin – studies have shown that at significant doses, it causes a pronounced diuretic effect in dogs and rats, as well as the development of crystals in their urine, but without evidence of kidney damage. Should doses exceed those in published studies, there may be additional adverse effects in dogs. Cats, however, are a very sensitive species, and can react adversely to many chemicals and drugs even at lower doses. Because of their unique physiology, they may be more sensitive to the adverse effects of melamine. Further investigation is required. |
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| Q: Should I avoid pet foods with wheat gluten? |
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| A: It is not wheat gluten itself that is the source of the problem – it is wheat gluten from a particular supplier in China that appears to be contaminated with a poisonous agent. Wheat gluten, a component of wheat flour, is a common ingredient in human and pet foods and is not inherently poisonous. In pet foods, it is used to thicken gravy and is also found in some dry food. There are rare diseases where humans and animals are allergic to wheat gluten, but those diseases do not result in kidney failure. Several dog and cat foods do not include any wheat gluten; consumers are advised to check labels. |
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DRY FOOD |
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Q: Is any dry food for cats or dogs known to be at risk? |
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| A: Wheat gluten is an ingredient in some brands of dry pet food. Check the label. So far, one prescription dry food for cats, Hill's Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food, has been recalled. See the recommended websites for reviewing all brands and types of food being recalled. |
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HOME-COOKED FOOD |
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Q: Since I now believe that pet food may be unsafe, what if I start cooking food for my pets at home? |
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A: The vast majority of commercially prepared pet foods have solid research and science behind their formulation and manufacture. In general they are the best food to feed your pet. Veterinarians rarely see cases of nutritional deficiency in pets fed commercial pet foods. Despite this current problem, commercially produced pet foods are still the best diet for your pet due to the safety regulations regarding diet composition and manufacturing process.
Home cooked diets may be lacking in essential nutrients since they have not undergone extensive nutritional evaluation. Over time, even the best cooks adjust their recipes, and even if you start with a complete and balanced recipe, the product evolves over time to become deficient in certain nutrients. Nutrionists call this "diet drift." However, if you do decide to thaw out and cook a package of hamburger for your pet, be sure it is adequately cooked, since undercooked ground meat has been implicated in human cases of renal failure.
As for raw food, a raw, frozen cat food was recalled for Salmonella contamination a few weeks ago. Scientific research has shown raw food diets to frequently be tainted with microorganisms known to cause disease in pets or any immunocompromised family members. |
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| Q: Any suggestions about what "human" food to feed them on a regular basis? I would like to get rid of all commercial dog foods now. |
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| A: Human foods do not have a perfect safety record either. Poorly cooked hamburger, spinach, scallions, turkey cold cuts, peanut butter and unpasteurized cheese have all been linked to illness and death in humans. |
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THE QUALITY OF PET FOOD |
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Q: Is there indication on a label if a pet food is premium or non-premium? |
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| A: The most important feature of a pet food label is the words "complete and balanced". Those words indicate to the consumer that the food has undergone rigorous testing and provides all the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients your pet needs. Unfortunately, reading the label would not have prevented the problem we currently have. Pet owners should know that, as long as their pets are eating "complete and balanced" pet foods, veterinarians rarely see cases of malnutrition. |
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| Q: I believed that I was buying my pet a premium food. Are all of the brands being made from the same ingredients? |
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| A: At first we were surprised that premium foods were affected, since we incorrectly assumed that premium food manufacturers had their own plants and manufactured all their own foods. This assumption was wrong. Companies provide a recipe to the plant and the plant "cooks" the food according the company's specifications. The common agent all of the recalled foods share is wheat gluten, not harmful in itself, but harmful if contaminated with a poisonous agent. |
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REGULATING THE PET FOOD INDUSTRY |
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Q: Are there regulations on pet food, like there are for human food? |
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| A: The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) determines the nutritional adequacy of pet foods and if a pet food is determined nutritionally adequate, they are labeled "complete and balanced". The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates production of pet food through Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations. In cases of illness related to pet foods such as in the current situation, the FDA steps in to investigate the cause. |
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