More on the Pet Food Recall: It’s Rat Poison

It looks as though the pet food that has been recalled was tainted with rat poison:

ALBANY, N.Y. – Rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 17 cats and dogs, but scientists said Friday they still don’t know how it got there and predicted more animal deaths would be linked to it.

After the announcement, the company that produced the food expanded its recall to include all 95 brands of the “cuts and gravy” style food, regardless of when they were produced. The company also said it would take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of the food.

The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

The federal government prohibits using aminopterin for killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said no criminal investigations had been launched.

The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and two dogs.

There is some speculation that this is a case of tampering:

Aminopterin is no longer marketed as a cancer drug, but is still used in research, said Andre Rosowsky, a chemist with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Rosowsky speculated that the substance would not show up in pet food “unless somebody put it there.”

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, said the company does not believe the food was tampered with because the recalled food came from two different plants, one in Kansas, one in New Jersey. Menu continues to produce food at the two plants.

I continue to believe that we’re just at the beginning of this story. One of the vets I’ve interviewed on this story said “this is going to rock the pet food industry”.

For details on the brands and lots recalled see here.

My previous posts on the subject:

Implications of Pet Food Recall Continue to Unfold
Dogfood Recall

4 comments… add one
  • rootdoctor Link

    The substance in the pet food is MELAMINE. This is a plastic which contains cyanide. For more info on this, go here:(http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic118.htm )
    For information on antidote (injectable B-12), go here:
    http://www.inchem.org/documents/antidote/antidote/ant02.htm

    To make your own homecooked foods for pets, remember that they need nutrients other than what is found in tablescraps. I am making salmon for my felines….also I add fresh bee pollen, and soak chia seeds in the juice. Also adding food grade kelp.

    For dog food, brown rice and chicken or chicken livers, or hamburger. Remember that meat or beans should be accompanied by rice so that it is a complete protein and these items must be consumed at the same time.

  • rootdoctor, you might want to look at my more recent posts on this subject. As of today, April 2, 2007 my most recent post is, “Securing the Food Supply”. The honest truth is that, as of today, nobody knows for sure what the contaminant that’s causing the deaths is. A contamination with aminoptermin has been detected by several laboratories; adulteration of the recalled food with melamine has also been detected.

    As of today this story continues to unfold and I’m sure it will for some time to come.

  • Donna Link

    hope u can help with answer to above email address. Concerns our female mix 11.5 years old with increasing lethargic behavior & noted confusion at times. Lady never gets table scraps nor is she feed by anyone else. She eats Purina One healthy formula, Meaty Dog bones & Hartz Advanced Joint Maintenance tablets only. We are very concerned with her behavior. Last vet check stated that she has old case of LYMES disease, which would explain the stiffness she sometimes experiences (hence the Hartz Joint maintenance). thank u so much for any answers as I realize that this might not be the right format for answering questions. Donna

  • Your vet is is your best resource for questions of this kind, Donna. None of the things that your are feeding your dog is on the list of foods recalled.

    Eleven and a half is senior citizen territory for dogs, so that’s one explanation. We’ve had the experience that treating arthritis has improved quality of life for our older dogs enormously.

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