If you've fed ANY of the brands of poisoned pet food, please read this

[Holly_Hobby]

BY DENISE FLAIM
denise.flaim@ newsday.com

March 22, 2007, 5:50 PM EDT
Newsday Newspaper, Long Island, NY

If your cat or dog ate any of the pet foods recalled last week by Ontario-based Menu Foods and isn't showing any dramatic symptoms of kidney failure -- including vomiting, refusal to eat, lethargy or increased drinking or urination -- that doesn't necessarily mean you are out of the woods, veterinarians warn.

"There are two categories of kidney failure -- acute and chronic," said Neil Shaw, chief medical officer for NYC Veterinary Specialists & Cancer Treatment Center in Manhattan. "Initially, there was an outburst of acute cases, but now we are beginning to see more chronic cases as well."

Acute kidney failure is a sudden, major loss of kidney function that the body cannot adjust to, resulting in a very sick animal in a very short period of time. But with chronic kidney failure, "the damage to the kidneys happened over time, and the body has had a chance to get used to it," often over the course of weeks, he said.

Cathy Langston, of the Manhattan-based Animal Medical Center's renal-medicine service, said that some cats or dogs may have been mildly affected by the tainted food, but have not acted sick enough for owners to bring them into the vet. "Seventy-five percent of patients we have seen have been drinking and urinating excessively, " she said. "But that means that 25 percent of owners did not perceive a change."

Indeed, in chronic cases, symptoms can be subtle, Langston noted. "The cat might go to the food bowl, but may not consume as much. The weight loss might be very gradual, so you don't notice it on a day to day basis. And vomiting may be only occasional, and attributed to hair balls."

...

This was from an email I received - no link other than www.newsday.com

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

1. I've been wondering if my 14.5 year old dog's recent

lethargy really is due to his advanced age. It seems like he is peeing in the house more - but maybe it is just that he can't hold it as long as he used to I use the chunk style w/gravy food to put his AM pills in, so he doesn't eat much of it. One of the brands I buy (Companion) is on the list - but I also use Alpo and Pedigree. The 8 year old also gets a piece or three in the AM and he is acting just fine.

Sigh - I guess I need to make a vet appt for him, but I'm afraid the vet will tell me its time to face the inevitable.

[aquart]

2. I have a question I don't know where to ask.

One year ago, my sister lost a cat named Stash to acute kidney failure, he couldn't make red blood cells, which is consistent with folate interference, while feeding him food brands and flavors listed on the current recall.

Are we certain this contamination is limited to the time-frame on the recall? Will we know if Chinese wheat was regularly brought in for these foods, and over how long a time?

Where should I be asking these questions?

[WiseButAngrySara]

12. Yes you should, and I don't know. My dog died in September

(16 1/2 years) and many of her symptoms were similar just prior to her death. She hadn't had any health problems in her life, and it might have just been due to age, but now I'm concerned and wondering...

[aquart]

13. Did I mention my sister's name is Sara?

And she too is wise but angry.

[WiseButAngrySara]

15. LOL! Well the wise is a foolish mistake on my part, but

the anger! The anger seems well-justified since 2000 ("a Republic if we can keep it") but I think that the truly wise have no anger.

:hi:

[AndyA]

3. I guess I should be glad at this point that my two cats don't like chunky cat food.

And they rarely eat the food that comes in pouches. They like kibbles and wet food in cans, but it has to be the stuff that's all smooshed up, they aren't big on slivers, chunks, and pieces.

Oh, and they both turned up their noses and walked away from Dick Van Patton (yes, the Eight Is Enough actor) brand cat food. Didn't even think about trying it after one sniff. I took the rest back to the store, and the clerk said it almost always comes back. :rofl:

[kestrel91316]

4. Dogs and cats over 8 or 10 years of age REALLY need an

annual thorough physical including blood panel and urinalysis. We find a LOT of subclinical health problems this way.

Waiting to see the vet until your pet is actually what you perceive as sick means we are way behind the 8-ball therapeutically. Prevention saves lifes. So does early detection. Of ALL SORTS OF DISEASES, not just renal disease.

For those who believe every word ever spoken by every vet other than their own is a lie, please feel free to disregard this advice.

[TZ]

10. Having had a older cat with renal problems

I can say this is TRUE TRUE TRUE. Bloodwork showed a looming kidney/liver problem in my cat about 4 months before severe symptoms set in. My routine screen probably gave my cat an extra 18 months (most of it pretty good) of life. Anybody with an elderly animal should be going to the vet on a very regular basis (my vet had it set for every 6 months).

[stubtoe]

5. Thanks for the post, Holly

you're a hero :)

[Holly_Hobby]

14. Goodness, I'm no hero....

I just can't stand avoidable suffering, and want to be sure people are aware, and have a few tests run on their pets to catch it early.

[Nikki Stone1]

6. This is scary

:kick:

[krkaufman]

7. Given what the Republican/Conservative movement has done to increase poverty...

... in this country, I just hope we don't end up with hundreds of human deaths, on top.

[The Stranger]

8. K&R

[krkaufman]

9. Link to article -- Effects of tainted pet food can be long-term

Effects of tainted pet food can be long-term
BY DENISE FLAIM
March 22, 2007

[haele]

11. If you're with Banfield pet hospital, apparently they're running a discount for screening -

From Pet Connections Blog:


And speaking of veterinarians, we’d like to note that if you’re a client of Banfield The Pet Hospital, here’s some news:

Banfield, The Pet Hospital is providing a 25 percent discount off the recommended medical treatment plans received at participating Banfield hospitals across the nation. Specialists and other experts have developed these specific treatment plans to screen for and treat kidney problems seen in patients who have eaten the tainted foods.

In addition, the Banfield Charitable Trust has created an emergency fund and donated the first $50,000 in funding to financially assist clients with Pet medical costs incurred at Banfield that are associated with the Menu Foods product contamination. Banfield Charitable Trust funds from this grant can be applied for at Banfield hospitals.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news/index_mail.shtml?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-22-2007/0004551873&EDATE=


My guys are still pretty healthy for old-timers, and their only wet food is an occasional Whiskas (Pedigree/Waltham) packet. I'm taking them to my regular vet for a quick evaluation later on this month. I'm lucky enough to have a vet at a training veterinarian hospital, so it's quite a bit cheaper to go in for lab work, and they've got enough equipment to do the job. But prior to moving to an area where I could get my current vet, I had the boyz signed up with PetSmart/Banfield - more or less a veterinarian HMO set-up, and they usually got pretty decent care there.

Haele