Heads-up to readers worldwide: MAJOR PET FOOD RECALL
(Update: Europe and South Africa are now included in the advisory including the UK. Details below. Parts of the world outside of North America or Europe should be safe as long as their pet food does not contain grain sourced in China including trans-shipments)
If any of you folks are reading this and:
a) are in North America, Europe, or South Africa (see details below) AND
b) feed your pets (cats/dogs/rats/etc.) any variety of pet food which lists any grain product or grain gluten like wheat, rice, corn, soy. etc.; pork; or chicken anywhere in the ingredient list and is not known to explicitly source from domestic growers only, wet or dry anytime wthin the past few years (dating based on latest news release and further news releases indicating that contaminated rice gluten may have been received as early as July along with recent evidence of widespread contamination of pork and possibly chicken, as well as a further update indicating that melamine doping is widespread in practically all grain products of Chinese origin and has been occuring for years and further news that upwards of 38 chicken farms in Indiana (including growers for some of the big chicken companies like Tyson) are known to have fed chickens contaminated feed and then butchered and sold them unawares):
YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:
A major pet food recall affecting almost all national brands of pet food (there *are* a very few exceptions, I'll note these below) is now being conducted due to food ingredients (now covering all grain products--wheat and wheat gluten in the beginning, rice and rice gluten starting 17 April, and now as of 20 April also covering corn gluten and possibly corn as well) that have been contaminated with the anticancer drug and rodenticide aminopterin and also melamine that have reportedly caused thousands of deaths; the problem was originally thought to be with wheat gluten but (as noted above and below) is likely the result of wheat that was contaminated with an anticancer drug so dangerous that it can be used as a pesticide combined with a chemical (used as a fertiliser and in production of plastics) known to be potentially toxic to the kidneys. Even if a product has not officially been recalled, all pet food containing grain or pork should be considered contaminated (the recall began with Menu Foods and has spread to four other pet food makers and possibly into the human food chain as well, and it is still unknown how far the contamination has spread).
As of 20 April, further contamination has been found in rice and corn gluten, also of Chinese origin; at this point any pet food containing any grain product that cannot be verified to have a non-Chinese origin should be considered suspect, especially as further info is indicating that Chinese companies may be deliberately "doping" gluten products with melamine.
Also as of 20 April, the toxic substance (that melamine may have been a marker for) has been tentatively identified as cyanuric acid, most commonly used in the US as a pool sanitiser. Cyanuric acid is renotoxic.
Also, the same report indicates the FDA is investigating the possibility that pork intended for human consumption may have also been contaminated. (As of April 24, fully six states are recalling pork products, and the FDA has acknowedged pork products in the US may be widely contaminated; in addition, chicken is now being investigated for contamination.) 45 humans are known to have eaten contaminated pork as of 1 May; in addition, 38 chicken farms in Indiana are known to have fed chickens contaminated feed (almost all those chickens have ended up in the food chain by now, as these were broiler chickens fed contaminated feed back in February).
Not only should all products from Menu Foods be considered contaminated, but all products from Diamond Pet Foods and all products from American Nutrition as well. (Yes, I realise this is the "big three" of pet food makers and that this pretty much counts out 95 percent of pet food sold in the United States. However, there's disturbing enough stuff from all three that I pretty much am no longer recommending one buy from ANY company who uses these as a processor.)
Note for non-North American readers:
Per a watchdog site as well as the the original FDA "hold and detain" order, the order not only covers China but also the Netherlands. Apparently the Netherlands is a major trans-shipment route for Chinese-sourced grain; hence unless grain from the Netherlands is known to have been harvested in the EU pretty much all Dutch-sourced grain must be considered suspect as well.
Iams UK, among others, is known to manufacture its pet food in the Netherlands; hence--and I really hate to have to give this update--UK and European readers will want to start taking the same advisories I am giving to US and Canadian readers (namely, no wheat gluten in pet foods, watch for signs of illness, if worried consult a vet). If European vets are puzzled, explain the US FDA has put an increased surveillance on wheat and wheat gluten products from the Netherlands due to the fact that much Chinese grain passes through the country.
Asian readers (I know I have a lot of friends on here from Singapore and Malaysia, among others) may also want to carefully examine any pet food for wheat or wheat gluten, as it would be logical for those countries to import from China due to proximity.
South Africa is confirmed as being affected as well due to discovery of contaminated Royal Canin products in that country. The Royal Canin discovery is especially disconcerting as corn gluten is affected; essentially all grain products of which local origin cannot be confirmed cannot be considered safe.
Per a recent International Herald Tribune article, foodstuffs from South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia should also be considered suspect unless grain products used can be confirmed to be of domestic origin from those countries.
Again, this affects the vast majority of moist and wet pet food sold in the US and Canada and (at this point) probably all dry pet foods, and also specifically includes recalls of several premium brands such as Iams/Eukanuba, Science Diet, and Nutro; there are a *very* few manufacturers of pet food not containing wheat or wheat gluten, but this does cover brands like Nutro that are usually considered "Safe" due to lack of preservatives and additives, etc and of 30 March does specifically include some forms of dry pet food as well. This is also not restricted to Menu Foods products and is not restricted to just pet food per se--pet snacks (like "dog jerky") have been the most recent product implicated (by two manufacturers, Del Monte Foods and Sunshine Mills) and at least four known manufacturers of pet food and pet snacks besides Menu Foods have recalled product.
According to news reports, only 16 pets are "officially" being listed as having died due to the food issue, but per ancedotal reports on various forums there may be many, many more sick--reportedly veterinarians' offices are having a number of people coming in with sick pets as a result of this, and many more cases of kidney disease and illness linked to the bad food are coming in (and, sadly, would be expected to). In fact, there are also reports filtering in from veterinary offices nationwide (including Tucson, AZ, Chicago, IL, and Boston, MA) of pets who have been killed or sickened by Menu Foods products, and per ABC news Dr. Cathy Langston (of the Animal Medical Center of NYC's Renal Medical Service) has noted "I've already heard of about 200 cases and so I bet that there are probably going to be thousands" of deaths; per a transcript of CNN's "American Morning", Dr. Langston has personally treated multiple pets suffering poisoning due to the tainted food. (Dr. Langston has also issued treatment advisories for vets; see below.) There are also multiple class-action lawsuits in Canada and the US being filed as a direct result of animals suspected of dying from eating contaminated food.
(Due to length limits on Livejournal posts, I have moved updates not concerning direct feeding advisories over to a ongoing "news ticker" post. The first dedicated post re news issues is also available for historical/archival purposes.)
I would in fact potentially consider any pet food containing a grain product (including wheat, rice, or corn) that one cannot confirm is from the US, Canada or Europe as an ingredient as potentially risky at this point; this does expressly include some pet foods not presently under the recall (most notably, Innova and its sub-brands including California Natural and HealthWise; Castor and Pollux foods and (confirmed 23 March) Breeder's Choice would also fit under this) and this *does* as of 31 March also cover several different makers of pet food who do not use Menu Foods as a processor.
There are multiple reasons I recommend being highly cautious:
a) There are a number of pet-food manufacturers whose products are presently not under the recall (as the recall covers only products made by a specific Menu Foods plant--which is still a major portion of the US market) but who do have their food processed by Menu Foods. (The known "safe" brands do their own processing and do not use Chinese-origin grain products; there are at least three known producers of holistic and/or "natural" pet foods that do source from Menu Foods, a second major supplier is also known to have received contaminated rice gluten (Diamond Foods) and a third is known to have received contaminated corn gluten (Royal Canin).)
b) This is likely a problem with a contaminated ingredient, and now (quite possibly) an indication of general severe issues with food contamination and food safety in China (which is where most companies are getting gluten and grain--partly because the US has very low tariffs on grain products and thus foreign grain is undercutting US grain and grain products).
c) There is some disturbing info pointing to a coverup, possibly on multiple levels, re the contaminated grain (see news post).
Among other things, Menu Foods did not reveal contamination for over four months, Diamond sold poisoned pet food as slop to hog farmers in at least seven states (leading to what may be widespread contamination of pork) and American Nutrition never notified pet food companies that it was adding rice gluten to all of its pet food it processed at the plant (forcing at least one pet food company, Blue Buffalo, to withdraw its entire product line altogether from stores).
d) Whilst most of what is being recalled is beef-cutlet stuff, grain and grain glutens is used in a lot more pet foods (including all dry pet food and most moist pet foods--almost all pet foods other than from a few holistic manufacturers use corn, wheat, or rice as a grain and thickening agent) and if it *is* in fact a problem with poisoned grains being used (as now appears to be the case) it could potentially affect not only more pet foods (including most moist and wet food, including chicken meals) but possibly even pet foods outside of Menu Foods (if they use the same suppliers). There is in fact indication as of 30 March onward that this is in fact the case (wheat gluten used by pet food manufacturers other than Menu Foods has been found to be contaminated and the recall expanded--in fact, it now covers all three major processors of pet food in the US). Aso, wheat is no longer the only concern--rice and corn gluten are also contaminated (leaving at this point potato flour as the only theoretically safe thickening agent).
TRACKING UPDATE, 31 MARCH 2007: Pet Connection (which is the source of a lot of the ancedotal reports of deaths, etc. and has also been good at breaking news of potential expansions of the (formal) recall) now has a dedicated website up. Among the links are an unofficial recall list covering the non-Menu Foods brands as well as Menu Foods proper which is actually updated on a more timely basis than the FDA's website.
Howl911.com has also been giving good coverage as has Itchmo.com; Pet Connection tends to use these two blogs in particular as sources (and vice versa).
Special note to rat owners:
UPDATE 20 APRIL: As of right now, I am strongly recommending you feed your rats a home prepared diet unless you are absolutely sure that any grain products used are from domestic sources only. See below.
There have been multiple reports of illnesses with dogs being fed Nutro dry pet food recently, and Nutro seems to have been hit at least twice in regards to recalled pet food. With the recent discovery of contaminated corn and rice gluten as well as wheat, pretty much all grains used in dry pet food are unsafe at this point until proven otherwise and in fact Nutro has been repeatedly listed as problematic.
As such, I cannot recommend that rat owners feed their pets Nutro; I am frankly even considering commercial rat blocks like Mazuri or Harlan Teklad as being suspicious.
Rat owners who are concerned about the risk of food contamination will strongly wish to consider making home diets for their rats. Fortunately, in the case of rats, this is easier than it is for dogs or cats; the most important thing will be vitamin supplementation. (Normally this is done through dog kibble, but most of the recommended brands of dog kibble are also suspect due to containing wheat gluten. You may be able to get by with a lamb-and-rice formula, though.) Debbie Ducommun (who has written several guides on rat care) does have a completely home-prepared rat diet which does not use dog kibble or rat blocks as a component that rat owners may wish to try.
There is also one non-Menu Foods manufacturer I can't recommend in good conscience--that being Diamond Foods (including their "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" line)--this is because as recently as last year Diamond pet food was linked to aflatoxin contaminated dog food that killed 76 dogs and sickened many more with liver failure. (This also pretty much knocks out *all* store-brand pet food; the majority of store brands not made through Menu Foods have tended to be bargain-basement stuff made by Diamond.) As it is, the Menu Foods recall is turning out to be similar in that it's the result of contaminated grain, and with the recent discovery that even pet food makers outside of Menu Foods have gotten wheat from the same supplier as Menu Foods it is yet *another* reason to avoid them. Diamond now is also known to have received contaminated rice gluten from China, thereby giving more reason for warning. (27 April--this is actually frighteningly prophetic now, as "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" is now among the recalled products...because American Nutrition, who makes wet pet food for Diamond, never notified pet food companies that it added rice gluten to all its products, and it was one of the companies that used contaminated rice gluten. THIS is why I say "If contaminated product came from a company, don't use anything packed at that plant or made by that company--you now have to worry about not just cross-contamination but unlabeled ingredients, too.)
American Nutrition also needs to be avoided--not only due to the risk of cross-contamination but for not informing pet food companies they were adding rice gluten to products (thus contaminating a wide variety of pet food products as a result, probably upwards of 50 percent of the pet food made in the US (and another 45 percent is probably held by Menu Foods and Diamond put together). Blue Buffalo, among others, is having to recall its entire product line--yes, each and every single product they make, as a result (and it may well kill that company).
Special note towards people whose pets are on veterinarian-prescribed medical foods (for treatment of conditions like diabetes, etc.):
MAJOR UPDATE 17 April 2006: If your pet is on any prescription diet plan, strongly consider speaking with your vet about designing an appropriate home-made diet.
Hill's Prescription Diet is specifically recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline which is the first dry food--and one of the first prescription foods--specifically recalled; whilst not a Menu Foods product, it does use wheat gluten from the same supplier (also indicating the problem may be far wider than Menu Foods). Royal Canin had been previously seen as safe, but a massive recall of all Royal Canin products in South Africa due to discovery of melamine contamination knocks them out as well; in addition, at least one other maker of dietetic foods (a Canadian sub-brand of Royal Canin) is recalling contaminated product.
There are presently three major manufacturers of prescription pet foods in the US--Hills (makers of Science Diet and Prescription Diet), Iams (makers of Eukanuba Veterinary) and Royal Canin (makers of Royal Canin Veterinary). Iams and Hills have recalled other products, and the Royal Canin recall is especially worrying; in addition, practically all makers of prescription diets for pets use either wheat or rice protein as a thickener or base. Hence, I can no longer assuredly state that any prescription pet food is in fact safe.
The vast majority of prescription diets are either for allergies, for obesity, or for certain metabolic problems (diabetes and kidney disease). In consultation with a vet, home-based diets can be designed for pets with these conditions.
Again, before changing the diet of a pet on a prescription diet, do so in consultation with your vet.
If your pet is on a medical food due to allergies, your options are far broader (including the vast majority of holistic food manufacturers for pets)--the big worry was for pets on things like feline diabetes or kidney disease/bladder stone diets.
If you have recalled pet food or pet food you are worried about being listed as recalled but your pet has not eaten:
You should be able to return this to the store for a refund or store credit. PetSmart in particular is offering refunds and/or exchanges of food under the recall (or of concern), no questions asked; I would strongly assume that most national and regional pet stores and feeder supply stores have similar policies in place, and even some national chains that sell pet food are also accepting returns for refund or store credit.
If your pet can accept a change of food and/or if you have *known safe pet food*, you will likely wish to switch them over to one of the three options:
a) Pet food specifically not listing grain products of any sort, pork, and/or chicken as an ingredient. (ALL food containing grain products should be considered suspect as wheat, rice and now corn gluten have been found to be contaminated; thanks to a failure to block contaminated grain products, pork is now generally unsafe, chicken may be unsafe soon) certifying they do *not* use grain fillers at all (instead using potato flour).
Unfortunately, at this point, this may almost entirely rule out dry food other than from companies that are known to source from domestic suppliers only.
b) Moist/wet food from a known safe brand. (My personal criteria on judging a food as "Safe" or "potentially safe" is here; please note I am not judging by nutritional benefit but strictly on whether potentially contaminated grain products or processing facilities are used, and I am using an epidemiological model so some folks may see me as being overly cautious. I'd rather be too cautious in this case.)
Manufacturers of wet/moist food that are known to be safe include:
Canidae (including Felidae sub-brand) (uses Pied Piper for dry foods (which reportedly sources only domestically), Evanger's for wet/moist (which operates under similar conditions); reportedly no wheat products used in manufacture; has confirmed rice products used in manufacture are US-sourced only)
Merrick Pet Foods (operates own plant as stated on website; folks should be aware company is somewhat explicitly religious (in the In-N-Out means of putting conspicuous Bible quotes on website) but at least as far as food goes, they're safe)
Addiction Foods (operates own plant, food is manufactured and ingredients sourced in Australia and New Zealand, specialises in lamb-based pet foods as well as wild game such as kangaroo, bushtail possum, and venison; online retailer for most part; canned foods are grain-free)
Halo Pets (per company website, food is not manufactured or processed by Menu Foods; little thickening at all of wet food products which are more properly stews for pets)
Nutrience including Hagen Pet Foods (per company website, food is not processed by Menu Foods, no wheat or wheat gluten used, confirmed all grain and grain products used in food are North American sourced only; company owns own facility)
Evanger's Dog and Cat Food (per company website, operates own canning and processing facility; company specialises in (and I swear I am not making this up) Kosher pet food for puppies and kitties in Orthodox Jewish households (and yes, they actually do have it officially certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Counsel as "Kosher for Passover"); due to the specialised requirements involved to allow certification of food as kosher (especially for "kosher for Passover" requirements), it is very unlikely they would be under the recall (if only because it would be next to impossible for them to actually get the cert otherwise); even with info on widespread use of contaminated grain, it is probably still safe due to "kosher for Passover" requirements which would require almost no wheat other than matzot to be used; have since confirmed that Evanger's, and all pet foods packaged by Evanger's (including Canidae and Life4K9) are domestically-sourced only for grain products)
The Honest Kitchen (raw pet foods, domestically sourced ingredients only, packages in human food production facility outside of China)
Bil-Jac Pet Foods (raw pet foods manufacturer which also makes a meat-meal pet food, no wheat or wheat gluten used, no sourcing from Menu Foods, confirmed all grain products are domestically sourced only)
Blackwood Pet Foods (Evanger's-packaged, domestic grain sources only)
Bravo Raw Diet (another raw foods diet, confirmed no grain used in manufacture, operates own facility)
Aunt Jeni's Home Made (no grains used in manufacture, operates own facility)
Champion Pet Foods including Orijen (Canada-based company, operates own facility, all products are regionally sourced)
Cloud Star Holistic Pet Food (owns own manufacturing plant, no wheat or wheat gluten used in manufacture, all ingredients sourced domestically)
Azmira (per manufacturer, is not involved in recall; may own and operate their own processing facilities (waiting on confirmation from company); holistic foods as well as wide range of naturopathic products for pets; product ingredient list only lists one potential source of wheat gluten in entire product line (specifically with one line of cat food, ingredients sourced domestically))
Dad's Pet Food (owns own facility, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
Grandma Lucy's (owns own facility, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
Life4K9 (Evanger's-packaged, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
mORIGINS (raw diet manufacturer, all ingredients sourced domestically, operates own facility)
Sojourner Farms (operates own facility, regionally sources all ingredients)
Stella and Chewy's (operates own facility, no grains used in production (raw foods manufacturer))
Flint River Ranch (operates own facility, all grain products domestically sourced only)
Home Style Select (operates own facility, all ingredients are locally sourced (company located in Pennsylvania))
Tiki Pet Foods (all ingredients are reportedly of Thai origin and explicitly do not use Chinese sourced ingredients, food is also reportedly manufactured in Thailand and sourced from human tuna producers)
Timber Wolf Organics including Serengeti sub-brands (domestic ingredients only, explicitly does not import from China; owns own facility)
Tuffy's Pet Food including Nutrisource dog food (domestic ingredients only, owns own facility)
VeRUS Pet Foods (domestic ingredients only; produced by Evanger's (wet) and Eagle Pack (dry))
Three Dog Bakery (domestic ingredients only, owns own manufacturing plant; producer of pet foods and pet treats, has a series of franchise stores that operate as pet bakeries (and sell things like doggie cookies :9))
Foods likely to be safe due to manufacturing processes:
Primal Pet Foods (domestic ingredients only, packaged at dual-use human/pet food processing plant; not listing as 100% verified safe yet because processing plant is unknown, but may use same Oregon processor as Steve's Real Food)
Steve's Real Food (domestic ingredients only; not listing as 100% verified safe yet because processing plant is unknown, but may use same plant as Primal Pet Foods)
Eagle Pack dry food only (owns own facility for dry food only and domestically sources all ingredients; do not use the wet loaf product as it is made by Menu Foods)
PetsitUSA.com is also maintaining a separate list of known safe pet foods (non-Menu Foods, non-wheat-gluten; at this point, I'd concentrate on the "non wheat/non wheat gluten" listed pet foods as there *are* some pet foods on this list I specifically do not recommend (Diamond Foods in particular) and there are some pet foods on this list that have recently been recalled; I *have* used their data to remove a few companies that were using Menu Foods (or other pet food manufacturers who are the subject of recalls) but do not reveal this info). Another list of safe pet foods is at SafePetFood @ Wordpress; this list uses criteria closer to mine (no Menu Foods products or products from known sources of contaminated food, no grains or grain gluten). A third tracker is available for both known recalled foods and known non-recalled products but the same caveats apply as to the first list; of note, Pet Food Tracker *does* have an unofficially maintained list of foods not yet recalled but linked to symptoms of eating contaminated food which may be useful.
A new list of manufacturer information (which has been much of the source for recent upgrades to the "safe food" list) is at thepetfoodlist.com and has been invaluable to research efforts.
I should note that all of these *are* premium foods (with the exception of Blue Seal) and all of these are likely to only be available at places like PetSmart or other feeder supply stores; nearly all of the "safe" or "presumed safe" foods are also available via online ordering.
If your pet is on a special veterinary diet (such as for diabetes or kidney failure), consult your vet; due to all three major manufacturers of prescription pet foods having contaminated product, a home diet may be the only option in some cases.
c) Preparing home meals for your pet. Especially with cats, this generally should not be done except on the specific guidance of your veterinarian (due to special dietary needs, in particular the need for taurine supplementation in cats), but may well be the only option available should your pet require a special diet (since all of the major manufacturers of prescription diet foods in the US, Iams/Eukanuba and Hills/Science Diet, are under the recall and several of the Hills and Iams prescription diet products are *only* available in moist/wet form; in addition, the recall now includes Hill's Prescription Diet dry and, most recently, Royal Canin as well).
Veterinary Information Network has recommended BalanceIt as a good source of home cooking recipes for pets, including prescription diets; a free recipe is available by using code "VIN" in the promo code section, and prescription diets are available as a paid service. In addition, Veterinary Information Network is providing info on home-cooked diets to veterinarians who are members of VIN.
There are also a few good sources of recipes for cats and dogs online. This link includes several recipes (including recipes for pets on prescription diets) designed by a vet; here is a second link to recipes. Be aware that cats will need taurine supplementation in their diet to prevent cardiac myopathy.
Again, I emphasize, make sure--ask the manufacturer if necessary--if your pet food uses any grain in its manufacture and the manufacturer cannot assure that the grain ingredients do not come from China or from an import/export company dealing with Chinese food products, consider it potentially tainted. Yes, this counts even if you are using an "all-natural" or "no preservatives added" or even "human food grade" food like Innova or Nutro; the one canine death known to be from the bad batches of food was in fact a dog fed almost entirely using Nutro wet/moist food and there have been numerous reports of symptoms of poisoning due to feeding of Nutro canned foods not yet recalled. (And I should note that my recommendations are probably not among the most extreme--at least one veterinarian is professionally recommending that his clients only eat dry food due to the fact there are so few non-Menu Foods alternatives for wet and moist pet food. I expect he is likely changing his advice due to the discovery of non-Menu Foods dry product being potentially tainted.)
Due to recent discoveries of contamination in the human food chain, pork and chicken products should probably be avoided.
If your pet has eaten any of the food listed in the recalls or any pet food and is presently showing signs of illness (I've included "any pet food" at this point to be on the safe side, as the recall has already expanded and will likely expand further)
a) Immediately stop feeding the food (if you haven't already) and switch to a known "safe" food (pet food from a known safe brand, or a homemade diet in consultation with your vet).
b) Immediately arrange an appointment with your vet to insure that your pet has not been injured--this is especially vital if your pet has been showing signs of illness, has been unusually lethargic, etc, but is also important as kidney disease in dogs and cats does not tend to show outside symptoms until the dog or cat is very, very sick indeed.
When calling the vet, be sure to note that your pet is thought to have consumed food covered under the Menu Foods recall so that they know specifically to check for kidney problems; you *may* wish to recommend specifically they perform blood tests for "BUN and creatinine" (these are standard tests of kidney function). Among other things, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University as well as Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are issuing assistance (including blood assays) to veterinarians who suspect poisoning by Menu Foods products, including assays for the agents most likely to have tainted the food; the American Veterinary Medical Association has explicit reporting and treatment guidelines for pets, including a reporting program of suspected cases of poisoning in conjuntion with the FDA.
Of note, there are reports that at least if your pet has eaten Hill's Prescription Diet, Hill's may pay for your screening (per an announcement sent to veterinarians).
IF (Gods forbid) your pet is showing signs of kidney disease or the BUN/creatinine tests show signs of potential problems, getting them to the vet ASAP may enable you to at least stop any damage and prevent further strain on their kidneys. If (Gods forbid) your vet does give you this news, get formal documentation from your vet and consider asking if he would be willing to give a notarised statement re the diagnosis of kidney disease; this will be important for future legal proceeding against Menu Foods (many cases are in court in the US with this, two class-actions have been filed in Canada, and I will be very surprised if the US court cases aren't merged into a class action).
A recent AVMA advisory has noted the FDA is now giving the following official case definition of suspected Menu Foods aminopterin poisoning, as follows:
The FDA has provided the following case definition for field investigation/cases: veterinary-documented renal failure, necropsy results if animal died, food consumed within 1 week of death (illness), and intact, unopened cans of the food.
The FDA is requesting that, if a pet is suspected of being poisoned, that a report be emailed to their offices by your vet (emergency (dot) operations (at) fda (dot) hhs (dot) gov) and that pet owners also contact the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html as well.
As of 23 March 2007, the poisoning of pets is strongly suspected to be linked to aminopterin--a chemical formerly used as an anticancer drug which blocks folic acid in the body. Fortunately, the fact that aminopterin IS an antifolate gives us a simple way to treat (and preventatively treat) potential cases of poisoning--specifically, you can give the pet massive doses of folic acid or a drug that acts in the body like folic acid (leucovorin is one of these drugs that tends to be used as a "rescue" for humans and pets having methotrexate chemo for cancer). This is pretty much the same approach that is used if your pet has been poisoned by household rat poisons--most rat poisons block the action of vitamin K (are vitamin K antagonists) and the doctors treat poisoning by massive doses of vitamin K.
If you suspect *at all* that your pet may have eaten contaminated Menu Foods pet food, be sure to tell your vet that you worry that your pet has aminopterin poisoning via Menu Foods pet food and be sure to let your vet know that one of aminopterin's main methods of action is as an antifolate (as aminopterin has not been in use in the US for over 40 years, many vets may not be familiar with it) and it should be treated similarly to methotrexate poisoning. (The (human) hematology journal Blood has an article that may be useful to vets in making treatment decisions in regards to poisoning (it also suggests massive doses of folic acid; some papers, however, indicate folic acid is mostly useful in animals who are not actively showing symptoms of poisoning and may be most useful in preventing further damage.)
Dr. Cathy Langston (who has treated many victims of Menu Foods-related aminopterin poisoning, as noted above) has issued guidelines along with the Animal Medical Center of NYC's Renal Medicine Service for laboratory tests and management of patients showing signs of acute kidney disease. (This should be highly useful for vets, and you may wish to refer this to your local vet even if your pet is NOT among those suspected of eating contaminated food; the Animal Medical Center of New York City is one of *the* top animal trauma centers in the US and is also a major medical research facility--it is NOT too much of an exaggeration to refer to the AMC as essentially being the veterinary equivalent of the Mayo Clinic.)
The American Veterinary Medical Association also has a specialised section on their website dealing with the pet-food recall, including treatment protocols; per the latest advisory there are specific treatment options given for aminopterin poisoning as the result of the contaminated food. (Much of it has not changed save for a recommendation to give folic acid with the caveat that it probably will not stop damage that has already been done. It also emphasizes the additional risks aminopterin poisoning raises, specifically the risk of bone marrow suppression (which was in fact the original use of aminopterin--it was originally invented as an anti-leukemia drug but was replaced over 40 years ago by the safer methotrexate).)
As noted above, the main way aminopterin seems to be killing pets is by aminopterin directly crystallising in the kidneys (thus destroying the kidneys); one of the specific medical recommendations to vets is to make sure that the urine is alkaline (above pH 7) as this may help flush aminopterin out of the kidneys.
As previously noted at the top of the advisory, there has since been an additional finding of melamine in tainted Menu Foods product; melamine is a urea-based chemical (hence it would go straight to the kidneys for filtering) and melamine poisoning is known to cause kidney stones--and likely has a synergistic effect with aminopterin's known kidney toxicity. Treatment is pretty much the same protocol as has been used all along--flushing the kidneys, making sure urine is alkaline, etc.
For people running up vet bills--and sadly, the vet bills for treatment of kidney disease can be considerable--there are now various groups willing to help out with the costs of essential medical treatment for sickened pets.
Most of you know I tend not to post this sort of stuff in my LJ like this--I think the last time I posted something like this (warning people to do something NOW) was when Hurricane Katrina was about to hit New Orleans--but yeah, people need to be aware of this.
If any of you folks are reading this and:
a) are in North America, Europe, or South Africa (see details below) AND
b) feed your pets (cats/dogs/rats/etc.) any variety of pet food which lists any grain product or grain gluten like wheat, rice, corn, soy. etc.; pork; or chicken anywhere in the ingredient list and is not known to explicitly source from domestic growers only, wet or dry anytime wthin the past few years (dating based on latest news release and further news releases indicating that contaminated rice gluten may have been received as early as July along with recent evidence of widespread contamination of pork and possibly chicken, as well as a further update indicating that melamine doping is widespread in practically all grain products of Chinese origin and has been occuring for years and further news that upwards of 38 chicken farms in Indiana (including growers for some of the big chicken companies like Tyson) are known to have fed chickens contaminated feed and then butchered and sold them unawares):
YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:
A major pet food recall affecting almost all national brands of pet food (there *are* a very few exceptions, I'll note these below) is now being conducted due to food ingredients (now covering all grain products--wheat and wheat gluten in the beginning, rice and rice gluten starting 17 April, and now as of 20 April also covering corn gluten and possibly corn as well) that have been contaminated with the anticancer drug and rodenticide aminopterin and also melamine that have reportedly caused thousands of deaths; the problem was originally thought to be with wheat gluten but (as noted above and below) is likely the result of wheat that was contaminated with an anticancer drug so dangerous that it can be used as a pesticide combined with a chemical (used as a fertiliser and in production of plastics) known to be potentially toxic to the kidneys. Even if a product has not officially been recalled, all pet food containing grain or pork should be considered contaminated (the recall began with Menu Foods and has spread to four other pet food makers and possibly into the human food chain as well, and it is still unknown how far the contamination has spread).
As of 20 April, further contamination has been found in rice and corn gluten, also of Chinese origin; at this point any pet food containing any grain product that cannot be verified to have a non-Chinese origin should be considered suspect, especially as further info is indicating that Chinese companies may be deliberately "doping" gluten products with melamine.
Also as of 20 April, the toxic substance (that melamine may have been a marker for) has been tentatively identified as cyanuric acid, most commonly used in the US as a pool sanitiser. Cyanuric acid is renotoxic.
Also, the same report indicates the FDA is investigating the possibility that pork intended for human consumption may have also been contaminated. (As of April 24, fully six states are recalling pork products, and the FDA has acknowedged pork products in the US may be widely contaminated; in addition, chicken is now being investigated for contamination.) 45 humans are known to have eaten contaminated pork as of 1 May; in addition, 38 chicken farms in Indiana are known to have fed chickens contaminated feed (almost all those chickens have ended up in the food chain by now, as these were broiler chickens fed contaminated feed back in February).
Not only should all products from Menu Foods be considered contaminated, but all products from Diamond Pet Foods and all products from American Nutrition as well. (Yes, I realise this is the "big three" of pet food makers and that this pretty much counts out 95 percent of pet food sold in the United States. However, there's disturbing enough stuff from all three that I pretty much am no longer recommending one buy from ANY company who uses these as a processor.)
Note for non-North American readers:
Per a watchdog site as well as the the original FDA "hold and detain" order, the order not only covers China but also the Netherlands. Apparently the Netherlands is a major trans-shipment route for Chinese-sourced grain; hence unless grain from the Netherlands is known to have been harvested in the EU pretty much all Dutch-sourced grain must be considered suspect as well.
Iams UK, among others, is known to manufacture its pet food in the Netherlands; hence--and I really hate to have to give this update--UK and European readers will want to start taking the same advisories I am giving to US and Canadian readers (namely, no wheat gluten in pet foods, watch for signs of illness, if worried consult a vet). If European vets are puzzled, explain the US FDA has put an increased surveillance on wheat and wheat gluten products from the Netherlands due to the fact that much Chinese grain passes through the country.
Asian readers (I know I have a lot of friends on here from Singapore and Malaysia, among others) may also want to carefully examine any pet food for wheat or wheat gluten, as it would be logical for those countries to import from China due to proximity.
South Africa is confirmed as being affected as well due to discovery of contaminated Royal Canin products in that country. The Royal Canin discovery is especially disconcerting as corn gluten is affected; essentially all grain products of which local origin cannot be confirmed cannot be considered safe.
Per a recent International Herald Tribune article, foodstuffs from South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia should also be considered suspect unless grain products used can be confirmed to be of domestic origin from those countries.
Again, this affects the vast majority of moist and wet pet food sold in the US and Canada and (at this point) probably all dry pet foods, and also specifically includes recalls of several premium brands such as Iams/Eukanuba, Science Diet, and Nutro; there are a *very* few manufacturers of pet food not containing wheat or wheat gluten, but this does cover brands like Nutro that are usually considered "Safe" due to lack of preservatives and additives, etc and of 30 March does specifically include some forms of dry pet food as well. This is also not restricted to Menu Foods products and is not restricted to just pet food per se--pet snacks (like "dog jerky") have been the most recent product implicated (by two manufacturers, Del Monte Foods and Sunshine Mills) and at least four known manufacturers of pet food and pet snacks besides Menu Foods have recalled product.
According to news reports, only 16 pets are "officially" being listed as having died due to the food issue, but per ancedotal reports on various forums there may be many, many more sick--reportedly veterinarians' offices are having a number of people coming in with sick pets as a result of this, and many more cases of kidney disease and illness linked to the bad food are coming in (and, sadly, would be expected to). In fact, there are also reports filtering in from veterinary offices nationwide (including Tucson, AZ, Chicago, IL, and Boston, MA) of pets who have been killed or sickened by Menu Foods products, and per ABC news Dr. Cathy Langston (of the Animal Medical Center of NYC's Renal Medical Service) has noted "I've already heard of about 200 cases and so I bet that there are probably going to be thousands" of deaths; per a transcript of CNN's "American Morning", Dr. Langston has personally treated multiple pets suffering poisoning due to the tainted food. (Dr. Langston has also issued treatment advisories for vets; see below.) There are also multiple class-action lawsuits in Canada and the US being filed as a direct result of animals suspected of dying from eating contaminated food.
(Due to length limits on Livejournal posts, I have moved updates not concerning direct feeding advisories over to a ongoing "news ticker" post. The first dedicated post re news issues is also available for historical/archival purposes.)
I would in fact potentially consider any pet food containing a grain product (including wheat, rice, or corn) that one cannot confirm is from the US, Canada or Europe as an ingredient as potentially risky at this point; this does expressly include some pet foods not presently under the recall (most notably, Innova and its sub-brands including California Natural and HealthWise; Castor and Pollux foods and (confirmed 23 March) Breeder's Choice would also fit under this) and this *does* as of 31 March also cover several different makers of pet food who do not use Menu Foods as a processor.
There are multiple reasons I recommend being highly cautious:
a) There are a number of pet-food manufacturers whose products are presently not under the recall (as the recall covers only products made by a specific Menu Foods plant--which is still a major portion of the US market) but who do have their food processed by Menu Foods. (The known "safe" brands do their own processing and do not use Chinese-origin grain products; there are at least three known producers of holistic and/or "natural" pet foods that do source from Menu Foods, a second major supplier is also known to have received contaminated rice gluten (Diamond Foods) and a third is known to have received contaminated corn gluten (Royal Canin).)
b) This is likely a problem with a contaminated ingredient, and now (quite possibly) an indication of general severe issues with food contamination and food safety in China (which is where most companies are getting gluten and grain--partly because the US has very low tariffs on grain products and thus foreign grain is undercutting US grain and grain products).
c) There is some disturbing info pointing to a coverup, possibly on multiple levels, re the contaminated grain (see news post).
Among other things, Menu Foods did not reveal contamination for over four months, Diamond sold poisoned pet food as slop to hog farmers in at least seven states (leading to what may be widespread contamination of pork) and American Nutrition never notified pet food companies that it was adding rice gluten to all of its pet food it processed at the plant (forcing at least one pet food company, Blue Buffalo, to withdraw its entire product line altogether from stores).
d) Whilst most of what is being recalled is beef-cutlet stuff, grain and grain glutens is used in a lot more pet foods (including all dry pet food and most moist pet foods--almost all pet foods other than from a few holistic manufacturers use corn, wheat, or rice as a grain and thickening agent) and if it *is* in fact a problem with poisoned grains being used (as now appears to be the case) it could potentially affect not only more pet foods (including most moist and wet food, including chicken meals) but possibly even pet foods outside of Menu Foods (if they use the same suppliers). There is in fact indication as of 30 March onward that this is in fact the case (wheat gluten used by pet food manufacturers other than Menu Foods has been found to be contaminated and the recall expanded--in fact, it now covers all three major processors of pet food in the US). Aso, wheat is no longer the only concern--rice and corn gluten are also contaminated (leaving at this point potato flour as the only theoretically safe thickening agent).
TRACKING UPDATE, 31 MARCH 2007: Pet Connection (which is the source of a lot of the ancedotal reports of deaths, etc. and has also been good at breaking news of potential expansions of the (formal) recall) now has a dedicated website up. Among the links are an unofficial recall list covering the non-Menu Foods brands as well as Menu Foods proper which is actually updated on a more timely basis than the FDA's website.
Howl911.com has also been giving good coverage as has Itchmo.com; Pet Connection tends to use these two blogs in particular as sources (and vice versa).
Special note to rat owners:
UPDATE 20 APRIL: As of right now, I am strongly recommending you feed your rats a home prepared diet unless you are absolutely sure that any grain products used are from domestic sources only. See below.
There have been multiple reports of illnesses with dogs being fed Nutro dry pet food recently, and Nutro seems to have been hit at least twice in regards to recalled pet food. With the recent discovery of contaminated corn and rice gluten as well as wheat, pretty much all grains used in dry pet food are unsafe at this point until proven otherwise and in fact Nutro has been repeatedly listed as problematic.
As such, I cannot recommend that rat owners feed their pets Nutro; I am frankly even considering commercial rat blocks like Mazuri or Harlan Teklad as being suspicious.
Rat owners who are concerned about the risk of food contamination will strongly wish to consider making home diets for their rats. Fortunately, in the case of rats, this is easier than it is for dogs or cats; the most important thing will be vitamin supplementation. (Normally this is done through dog kibble, but most of the recommended brands of dog kibble are also suspect due to containing wheat gluten. You may be able to get by with a lamb-and-rice formula, though.) Debbie Ducommun (who has written several guides on rat care) does have a completely home-prepared rat diet which does not use dog kibble or rat blocks as a component that rat owners may wish to try.
There is also one non-Menu Foods manufacturer I can't recommend in good conscience--that being Diamond Foods (including their "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" line)--this is because as recently as last year Diamond pet food was linked to aflatoxin contaminated dog food that killed 76 dogs and sickened many more with liver failure. (This also pretty much knocks out *all* store-brand pet food; the majority of store brands not made through Menu Foods have tended to be bargain-basement stuff made by Diamond.) As it is, the Menu Foods recall is turning out to be similar in that it's the result of contaminated grain, and with the recent discovery that even pet food makers outside of Menu Foods have gotten wheat from the same supplier as Menu Foods it is yet *another* reason to avoid them. Diamond now is also known to have received contaminated rice gluten from China, thereby giving more reason for warning. (27 April--this is actually frighteningly prophetic now, as "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" is now among the recalled products...because American Nutrition, who makes wet pet food for Diamond, never notified pet food companies that it added rice gluten to all its products, and it was one of the companies that used contaminated rice gluten. THIS is why I say "If contaminated product came from a company, don't use anything packed at that plant or made by that company--you now have to worry about not just cross-contamination but unlabeled ingredients, too.)
American Nutrition also needs to be avoided--not only due to the risk of cross-contamination but for not informing pet food companies they were adding rice gluten to products (thus contaminating a wide variety of pet food products as a result, probably upwards of 50 percent of the pet food made in the US (and another 45 percent is probably held by Menu Foods and Diamond put together). Blue Buffalo, among others, is having to recall its entire product line--yes, each and every single product they make, as a result (and it may well kill that company).
Special note towards people whose pets are on veterinarian-prescribed medical foods (for treatment of conditions like diabetes, etc.):
MAJOR UPDATE 17 April 2006: If your pet is on any prescription diet plan, strongly consider speaking with your vet about designing an appropriate home-made diet.
Hill's Prescription Diet is specifically recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline which is the first dry food--and one of the first prescription foods--specifically recalled; whilst not a Menu Foods product, it does use wheat gluten from the same supplier (also indicating the problem may be far wider than Menu Foods). Royal Canin had been previously seen as safe, but a massive recall of all Royal Canin products in South Africa due to discovery of melamine contamination knocks them out as well; in addition, at least one other maker of dietetic foods (a Canadian sub-brand of Royal Canin) is recalling contaminated product.
There are presently three major manufacturers of prescription pet foods in the US--Hills (makers of Science Diet and Prescription Diet), Iams (makers of Eukanuba Veterinary) and Royal Canin (makers of Royal Canin Veterinary). Iams and Hills have recalled other products, and the Royal Canin recall is especially worrying; in addition, practically all makers of prescription diets for pets use either wheat or rice protein as a thickener or base. Hence, I can no longer assuredly state that any prescription pet food is in fact safe.
The vast majority of prescription diets are either for allergies, for obesity, or for certain metabolic problems (diabetes and kidney disease). In consultation with a vet, home-based diets can be designed for pets with these conditions.
Again, before changing the diet of a pet on a prescription diet, do so in consultation with your vet.
If your pet is on a medical food due to allergies, your options are far broader (including the vast majority of holistic food manufacturers for pets)--the big worry was for pets on things like feline diabetes or kidney disease/bladder stone diets.
If you have recalled pet food or pet food you are worried about being listed as recalled but your pet has not eaten:
You should be able to return this to the store for a refund or store credit. PetSmart in particular is offering refunds and/or exchanges of food under the recall (or of concern), no questions asked; I would strongly assume that most national and regional pet stores and feeder supply stores have similar policies in place, and even some national chains that sell pet food are also accepting returns for refund or store credit.
If your pet can accept a change of food and/or if you have *known safe pet food*, you will likely wish to switch them over to one of the three options:
a) Pet food specifically not listing grain products of any sort, pork, and/or chicken as an ingredient. (ALL food containing grain products should be considered suspect as wheat, rice and now corn gluten have been found to be contaminated; thanks to a failure to block contaminated grain products, pork is now generally unsafe, chicken may be unsafe soon) certifying they do *not* use grain fillers at all (instead using potato flour).
Unfortunately, at this point, this may almost entirely rule out dry food other than from companies that are known to source from domestic suppliers only.
b) Moist/wet food from a known safe brand. (My personal criteria on judging a food as "Safe" or "potentially safe" is here; please note I am not judging by nutritional benefit but strictly on whether potentially contaminated grain products or processing facilities are used, and I am using an epidemiological model so some folks may see me as being overly cautious. I'd rather be too cautious in this case.)
Manufacturers of wet/moist food that are known to be safe include:
Canidae (including Felidae sub-brand) (uses Pied Piper for dry foods (which reportedly sources only domestically), Evanger's for wet/moist (which operates under similar conditions); reportedly no wheat products used in manufacture; has confirmed rice products used in manufacture are US-sourced only)
Merrick Pet Foods (operates own plant as stated on website; folks should be aware company is somewhat explicitly religious (in the In-N-Out means of putting conspicuous Bible quotes on website) but at least as far as food goes, they're safe)
Addiction Foods (operates own plant, food is manufactured and ingredients sourced in Australia and New Zealand, specialises in lamb-based pet foods as well as wild game such as kangaroo, bushtail possum, and venison; online retailer for most part; canned foods are grain-free)
Halo Pets (per company website, food is not manufactured or processed by Menu Foods; little thickening at all of wet food products which are more properly stews for pets)
Nutrience including Hagen Pet Foods (per company website, food is not processed by Menu Foods, no wheat or wheat gluten used, confirmed all grain and grain products used in food are North American sourced only; company owns own facility)
Evanger's Dog and Cat Food (per company website, operates own canning and processing facility; company specialises in (and I swear I am not making this up) Kosher pet food for puppies and kitties in Orthodox Jewish households (and yes, they actually do have it officially certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Counsel as "Kosher for Passover"); due to the specialised requirements involved to allow certification of food as kosher (especially for "kosher for Passover" requirements), it is very unlikely they would be under the recall (if only because it would be next to impossible for them to actually get the cert otherwise); even with info on widespread use of contaminated grain, it is probably still safe due to "kosher for Passover" requirements which would require almost no wheat other than matzot to be used; have since confirmed that Evanger's, and all pet foods packaged by Evanger's (including Canidae and Life4K9) are domestically-sourced only for grain products)
The Honest Kitchen (raw pet foods, domestically sourced ingredients only, packages in human food production facility outside of China)
Bil-Jac Pet Foods (raw pet foods manufacturer which also makes a meat-meal pet food, no wheat or wheat gluten used, no sourcing from Menu Foods, confirmed all grain products are domestically sourced only)
Blackwood Pet Foods (Evanger's-packaged, domestic grain sources only)
Bravo Raw Diet (another raw foods diet, confirmed no grain used in manufacture, operates own facility)
Aunt Jeni's Home Made (no grains used in manufacture, operates own facility)
Champion Pet Foods including Orijen (Canada-based company, operates own facility, all products are regionally sourced)
Cloud Star Holistic Pet Food (owns own manufacturing plant, no wheat or wheat gluten used in manufacture, all ingredients sourced domestically)
Azmira (per manufacturer, is not involved in recall; may own and operate their own processing facilities (waiting on confirmation from company); holistic foods as well as wide range of naturopathic products for pets; product ingredient list only lists one potential source of wheat gluten in entire product line (specifically with one line of cat food, ingredients sourced domestically))
Dad's Pet Food (owns own facility, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
Grandma Lucy's (owns own facility, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
Life4K9 (Evanger's-packaged, all grain products in pet food sourced domestically)
mORIGINS (raw diet manufacturer, all ingredients sourced domestically, operates own facility)
Sojourner Farms (operates own facility, regionally sources all ingredients)
Stella and Chewy's (operates own facility, no grains used in production (raw foods manufacturer))
Flint River Ranch (operates own facility, all grain products domestically sourced only)
Home Style Select (operates own facility, all ingredients are locally sourced (company located in Pennsylvania))
Tiki Pet Foods (all ingredients are reportedly of Thai origin and explicitly do not use Chinese sourced ingredients, food is also reportedly manufactured in Thailand and sourced from human tuna producers)
Timber Wolf Organics including Serengeti sub-brands (domestic ingredients only, explicitly does not import from China; owns own facility)
Tuffy's Pet Food including Nutrisource dog food (domestic ingredients only, owns own facility)
VeRUS Pet Foods (domestic ingredients only; produced by Evanger's (wet) and Eagle Pack (dry))
Three Dog Bakery (domestic ingredients only, owns own manufacturing plant; producer of pet foods and pet treats, has a series of franchise stores that operate as pet bakeries (and sell things like doggie cookies :9))
Foods likely to be safe due to manufacturing processes:
Primal Pet Foods (domestic ingredients only, packaged at dual-use human/pet food processing plant; not listing as 100% verified safe yet because processing plant is unknown, but may use same Oregon processor as Steve's Real Food)
Steve's Real Food (domestic ingredients only; not listing as 100% verified safe yet because processing plant is unknown, but may use same plant as Primal Pet Foods)
Eagle Pack dry food only (owns own facility for dry food only and domestically sources all ingredients; do not use the wet loaf product as it is made by Menu Foods)
PetsitUSA.com is also maintaining a separate list of known safe pet foods (non-Menu Foods, non-wheat-gluten; at this point, I'd concentrate on the "non wheat/non wheat gluten" listed pet foods as there *are* some pet foods on this list I specifically do not recommend (Diamond Foods in particular) and there are some pet foods on this list that have recently been recalled; I *have* used their data to remove a few companies that were using Menu Foods (or other pet food manufacturers who are the subject of recalls) but do not reveal this info). Another list of safe pet foods is at SafePetFood @ Wordpress; this list uses criteria closer to mine (no Menu Foods products or products from known sources of contaminated food, no grains or grain gluten). A third tracker is available for both known recalled foods and known non-recalled products but the same caveats apply as to the first list; of note, Pet Food Tracker *does* have an unofficially maintained list of foods not yet recalled but linked to symptoms of eating contaminated food which may be useful.
A new list of manufacturer information (which has been much of the source for recent upgrades to the "safe food" list) is at thepetfoodlist.com and has been invaluable to research efforts.
I should note that all of these *are* premium foods (with the exception of Blue Seal) and all of these are likely to only be available at places like PetSmart or other feeder supply stores; nearly all of the "safe" or "presumed safe" foods are also available via online ordering.
If your pet is on a special veterinary diet (such as for diabetes or kidney failure), consult your vet; due to all three major manufacturers of prescription pet foods having contaminated product, a home diet may be the only option in some cases.
c) Preparing home meals for your pet. Especially with cats, this generally should not be done except on the specific guidance of your veterinarian (due to special dietary needs, in particular the need for taurine supplementation in cats), but may well be the only option available should your pet require a special diet (since all of the major manufacturers of prescription diet foods in the US, Iams/Eukanuba and Hills/Science Diet, are under the recall and several of the Hills and Iams prescription diet products are *only* available in moist/wet form; in addition, the recall now includes Hill's Prescription Diet dry and, most recently, Royal Canin as well).
Veterinary Information Network has recommended BalanceIt as a good source of home cooking recipes for pets, including prescription diets; a free recipe is available by using code "VIN" in the promo code section, and prescription diets are available as a paid service. In addition, Veterinary Information Network is providing info on home-cooked diets to veterinarians who are members of VIN.
There are also a few good sources of recipes for cats and dogs online. This link includes several recipes (including recipes for pets on prescription diets) designed by a vet; here is a second link to recipes. Be aware that cats will need taurine supplementation in their diet to prevent cardiac myopathy.
Again, I emphasize, make sure--ask the manufacturer if necessary--if your pet food uses any grain in its manufacture and the manufacturer cannot assure that the grain ingredients do not come from China or from an import/export company dealing with Chinese food products, consider it potentially tainted. Yes, this counts even if you are using an "all-natural" or "no preservatives added" or even "human food grade" food like Innova or Nutro; the one canine death known to be from the bad batches of food was in fact a dog fed almost entirely using Nutro wet/moist food and there have been numerous reports of symptoms of poisoning due to feeding of Nutro canned foods not yet recalled. (And I should note that my recommendations are probably not among the most extreme--at least one veterinarian is professionally recommending that his clients only eat dry food due to the fact there are so few non-Menu Foods alternatives for wet and moist pet food. I expect he is likely changing his advice due to the discovery of non-Menu Foods dry product being potentially tainted.)
Due to recent discoveries of contamination in the human food chain, pork and chicken products should probably be avoided.
If your pet has eaten any of the food listed in the recalls or any pet food and is presently showing signs of illness (I've included "any pet food" at this point to be on the safe side, as the recall has already expanded and will likely expand further)
a) Immediately stop feeding the food (if you haven't already) and switch to a known "safe" food (pet food from a known safe brand, or a homemade diet in consultation with your vet).
b) Immediately arrange an appointment with your vet to insure that your pet has not been injured--this is especially vital if your pet has been showing signs of illness, has been unusually lethargic, etc, but is also important as kidney disease in dogs and cats does not tend to show outside symptoms until the dog or cat is very, very sick indeed.
When calling the vet, be sure to note that your pet is thought to have consumed food covered under the Menu Foods recall so that they know specifically to check for kidney problems; you *may* wish to recommend specifically they perform blood tests for "BUN and creatinine" (these are standard tests of kidney function). Among other things, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University as well as Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are issuing assistance (including blood assays) to veterinarians who suspect poisoning by Menu Foods products, including assays for the agents most likely to have tainted the food; the American Veterinary Medical Association has explicit reporting and treatment guidelines for pets, including a reporting program of suspected cases of poisoning in conjuntion with the FDA.
Of note, there are reports that at least if your pet has eaten Hill's Prescription Diet, Hill's may pay for your screening (per an announcement sent to veterinarians).
IF (Gods forbid) your pet is showing signs of kidney disease or the BUN/creatinine tests show signs of potential problems, getting them to the vet ASAP may enable you to at least stop any damage and prevent further strain on their kidneys. If (Gods forbid) your vet does give you this news, get formal documentation from your vet and consider asking if he would be willing to give a notarised statement re the diagnosis of kidney disease; this will be important for future legal proceeding against Menu Foods (many cases are in court in the US with this, two class-actions have been filed in Canada, and I will be very surprised if the US court cases aren't merged into a class action).
A recent AVMA advisory has noted the FDA is now giving the following official case definition of suspected Menu Foods aminopterin poisoning, as follows:
The FDA has provided the following case definition for field investigation/cases: veterinary-documented renal failure, necropsy results if animal died, food consumed within 1 week of death (illness), and intact, unopened cans of the food.
The FDA is requesting that, if a pet is suspected of being poisoned, that a report be emailed to their offices by your vet (emergency (dot) operations (at) fda (dot) hhs (dot) gov) and that pet owners also contact the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html as well.
As of 23 March 2007, the poisoning of pets is strongly suspected to be linked to aminopterin--a chemical formerly used as an anticancer drug which blocks folic acid in the body. Fortunately, the fact that aminopterin IS an antifolate gives us a simple way to treat (and preventatively treat) potential cases of poisoning--specifically, you can give the pet massive doses of folic acid or a drug that acts in the body like folic acid (leucovorin is one of these drugs that tends to be used as a "rescue" for humans and pets having methotrexate chemo for cancer). This is pretty much the same approach that is used if your pet has been poisoned by household rat poisons--most rat poisons block the action of vitamin K (are vitamin K antagonists) and the doctors treat poisoning by massive doses of vitamin K.
If you suspect *at all* that your pet may have eaten contaminated Menu Foods pet food, be sure to tell your vet that you worry that your pet has aminopterin poisoning via Menu Foods pet food and be sure to let your vet know that one of aminopterin's main methods of action is as an antifolate (as aminopterin has not been in use in the US for over 40 years, many vets may not be familiar with it) and it should be treated similarly to methotrexate poisoning. (The (human) hematology journal Blood has an article that may be useful to vets in making treatment decisions in regards to poisoning (it also suggests massive doses of folic acid; some papers, however, indicate folic acid is mostly useful in animals who are not actively showing symptoms of poisoning and may be most useful in preventing further damage.)
Dr. Cathy Langston (who has treated many victims of Menu Foods-related aminopterin poisoning, as noted above) has issued guidelines along with the Animal Medical Center of NYC's Renal Medicine Service for laboratory tests and management of patients showing signs of acute kidney disease. (This should be highly useful for vets, and you may wish to refer this to your local vet even if your pet is NOT among those suspected of eating contaminated food; the Animal Medical Center of New York City is one of *the* top animal trauma centers in the US and is also a major medical research facility--it is NOT too much of an exaggeration to refer to the AMC as essentially being the veterinary equivalent of the Mayo Clinic.)
The American Veterinary Medical Association also has a specialised section on their website dealing with the pet-food recall, including treatment protocols; per the latest advisory there are specific treatment options given for aminopterin poisoning as the result of the contaminated food. (Much of it has not changed save for a recommendation to give folic acid with the caveat that it probably will not stop damage that has already been done. It also emphasizes the additional risks aminopterin poisoning raises, specifically the risk of bone marrow suppression (which was in fact the original use of aminopterin--it was originally invented as an anti-leukemia drug but was replaced over 40 years ago by the safer methotrexate).)
As noted above, the main way aminopterin seems to be killing pets is by aminopterin directly crystallising in the kidneys (thus destroying the kidneys); one of the specific medical recommendations to vets is to make sure that the urine is alkaline (above pH 7) as this may help flush aminopterin out of the kidneys.
As previously noted at the top of the advisory, there has since been an additional finding of melamine in tainted Menu Foods product; melamine is a urea-based chemical (hence it would go straight to the kidneys for filtering) and melamine poisoning is known to cause kidney stones--and likely has a synergistic effect with aminopterin's known kidney toxicity. Treatment is pretty much the same protocol as has been used all along--flushing the kidneys, making sure urine is alkaline, etc.
For people running up vet bills--and sadly, the vet bills for treatment of kidney disease can be considerable--there are now various groups willing to help out with the costs of essential medical treatment for sickened pets.
Most of you know I tend not to post this sort of stuff in my LJ like this--I think the last time I posted something like this (warning people to do something NOW) was when Hurricane Katrina was about to hit New Orleans--but yeah, people need to be aware of this.