Pet Food Maker to Take Financial Responsibility for Pet Deaths From Poisoning

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC

The president of pet food maker Menu Foods, which last week issued a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food after a rash of animal sickness and death, said today that the company would reimburse pet owners who can trace their pets' illnesses to the company's products.

Earlier today, New York State veterinary health investigators announced that the pet food responsible for pet deaths around the country was contaminated with the rodent poison aminopterin.

"A pet is an important part of any family," Paul Henderson, the president and CEO of Menu Foods, said at a Toronto press conference. "We understand what pet ownership is."

While Henderson described himself as "angry" over the massive recall and the impact it has had on hundreds of pets, he also said the company has not stopped manufacturing at the two plants believed to have produced the contaminated pet food.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2975912&page=1

[whistle]

1. Start reporting

[youngdem]

2. They better start by more accurately reporting the extent of the problem

Namely, that it affects dry food too apparently and that the number of deaths is obviously well into the hundreds, and likely the thousands, based on what is being reported on line and by more reputable news sources than the corporate whores.

I love that they say they are gonna take financial responsibility as if it is an option. Corporate types kill me with their droll humor!

I think we should amend laws at the federal level to allow recovery of emotional distress due to the negligent death of a pet. That would do more for pet food quality control than some meaningless quality control law with three inspectors nationwide paid by the industry(imagining the likely Bushco 'solution'.)

[RamboLiberal]

3. And some vets are skeptical that this poison is solely responsible

From the OP article:

Some veterinary experts say they are still skeptical as to whether the chemical is responsible for the kidney damage the pets endured.

"With the information that we have, none of us feel that this product fits the lesions we are seeing, but there may be information we don't know yet," said Lawrence McGill, a veterinary pathologist in Salt Lake City. "The feeling is that there are more questions than answers with this product."

"Renal failure is not the expected response to these drugs," said Susan Weinstein, executive director of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. She added that most rodent poisons work as severe anticoagulants — meaning they cause the rats that ingest them to bleed to death.

"Whether this particular toxin in this case can create renal failure depends on how this drug works in the body, which may be an entirely different pathway than the anticoagulants," Weinstein said. "Because we aren't yet familiar with this toxin, we can't be confident of the causation link."

Plus they haven't shutdown their plants - they are still manufacturing other pet foods that are not on recall list!

[rexcat]

32. It is not an anticoagulant but related to methotrexate...

which is one nasty chemotherapy agent, we use it for the treatment of some leukemias. Nice intro to the drug on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminopterin

[kestrel91316]

36. The info we have now indicates that the symptoms DO fit those expected

with aminopterin toxicity.

One interesting thing being bandied about is the possibility that some renal problems and nonregenerative anemias and low WBC counts that we have been seeing all along might be due to chronic low-level exposure to the toxin. This is disturbing. I occasionally see low WBCs that are not causing any actual illness, and I see occasional low-grade anemias that I can see no reason for. And who the hell knows what is causing the chronic renal failures that we all see in significant numbers?

IMHO this aminopterin exposure may have been going on a long time at much lower levels and we just didn't know it. How much of these more subtle problems are just normal levels to be expected, and how much is due to food-related toxin exposure?

We still have serious questions, some of which may NEVER be answered.

[nodehopper]

19. where did you read that it affects dry food?

That makes me concerned for my boyfriend's cat. Do you have a link or something I can send him?

[jmowreader]

34. Menu Foods doesn't make dry food

If the problem affects dry food too, you've just broadened the case significantly.

[kestrel91316]

35. There is no reputable source saying that dry food is involved.

No vets are reporting anything more than the usual types of illness in pets NOT eating the recalled foods. Virtually every case of ARF being duscussed currently has a clear history of consuming recalled food.

This is internet rumormongering.

[Mrspeeker]

4. Getting Sued is what corporations call taking Financial Responsibility

Cause corporations only responsibility is their bottom line!

As far as actually responsible? Well I think we already know that answer.

[Gloria]

5. I called Iams yesterday and they are sending a refund check for the

cans of the Chicken and Gravy that I still had. Should be received in about 2-3 weeks.

Thank god my 3 didn't get sick. I only used it a few times as a "topping" on their usual California Natural kibble.

[jilln]

6. If they really understood the importance of "pets"

they wouldn't call it "pet ownership". "Pets" are family members, not property. I don't own my dogs any more than I own my parents.

[MonkeyFunk]

16. So if your pet

wandered next door, and they took him in, you wouldn't go get him back? It would just be a lifestyle choice for your pet?

[jilln]

25. So if your child

wandered next door, and they took him in, you wouldn't go get him back? It would just be a lifestyle choice for your child?

[pushycat]

7. This happens after the NOV Elections. Are blue states affected?

Sorry to be so cynical, but has anyone thought about the timing of this horrendous act? Just when the Dems get back in power pets are sickened. Has anyone thought to check if blue states are mostly affected?

Does anyone know if pets in other countries are affected? Is it just the US or elsewhere?

Surely, if no other country has this problem then the US has been attacked somehow.

[Codeine]

10. That's pure insanity.

This was just one of those things. Mistakes happen when foods are processed at that scale.

>>Does anyone know if pets in other countries are affected? Is it just the US or elsewhere?

Presumably there are recalls in any country that imports pet food from Menu Foods. I'm sure at least Canada has been affected.

>>Surely, if no other country has this problem then the US has been attacked somehow.

OH NO!! Terrorists are after Fluffy! Give me a fuckin' break.

[pushycat]

27. You're so sure? Find 1 article outside the US with toxic pet food.

No reason to doubt me if you don't have evidence otherwise. I have the right to my own opinion even if you disapprove. The timing is suspicious - that's all. I looked all over for any article about pet food outside the States with toxin and found 0 (zero).

[HuffleClaw]

8. can you IMAGINE the tens of thousands who will try to cash in on this?

even people who never had a dog/cat in the first place?


maybe, just maybe some decent regulation of this industry will occur now.

[Raine]

9. I'm NEVER feeding my pets

"pet" food again! I'm giving the cats Chicken of the Sea tuna and my dog is getting Dinty Moore stew.

[Codeine]

11. Tuna isn't good for your cat at all.

And dogs probably shouldn't live on Dinty Moore.

And what happens when there is a problem with one of those products?

[Raine]

24. THANKS

I guess I'm just so desperate to avoid the pet foods I haven't thought it thru enough. It's only a matter of time till human food is unfit to eat too.

[shaniqua6392]

14. You can feed them both a raw healthy diet.

Check out this site to begin researching. We do it with our dogs and cats and it is really easy once you get the hang of it. It is just like shopping for another person at the grocery store. I know how you feel that you just want to feed them something human so you do not rely on companies who merely want to make billions selling us crap. But really try this out. You will be surprised. It is not expensive. It just takes a little more work and creativity.
http://www.barfworld.com/
www.petconnection.com To see an accurate count of the animal deaths that have been reported so far. Menu Foods bought wheat from CHINA to put in our pet food which was tainted with rat poison. They are just trying to hide the truth.

[Raine]

23. THANKS for the info nt

[RamboLiberal]

26. Check out the other side of raw diets

I know there are a number of DU'ers who do so, but there's also warnings from vets it's dangerous because bacteria and other pathogens like e-coli, etc. that is in raw meat. I've read it could endanger those in the household and the animals poop will also contain the pathogens. After all it is from manure that e-coli gets spread.

My personal feeling is if I wouldn't eat raw meat because it has a very good chance of sickening me I'm sure not feeding it to my pet.

Just check both sides of the argument and then decide. In the past with a diabetic dog we did feed cooked chicken and liver instead of dog food.

And I came from a family who fed table scraps, gravy, bread that was getting stale mixed with dog kibble. Seems all the dogs lived to ripe old ages, had no coat problems, rarely saw a vet, never got sick, etc.

Of course I don't do that now.

[Raine]

28. Thanks, I'm not so sure

either about a raw diet long long ago I had a Standard Poodle I got from a breeder who told me to feed her raw hamburger mixed with oatmeal. I tried but everytime I fed her raw hamburger she would throw it up, I ended up cooking the meat and she did better.

[AirmensMom]

31. There are also plenty of vets

who encourage raw diets for pets. One of them is my vet and I trust him completely. The previous vet, who tried to scare us out of feeding raw food, gave our cats up for dead when she couldn't find an answer to their digestive problems after 7 years of trying. They're happy and healthy two years later on a raw food diet. Of course, that's only one example (two if you count both cats), but it works for me. At least I know what's going into their food.

Your pet licks its butt and doesn't get sick. You wouldn't lick yours if you could, but you would get sick if you did so. Comparing people to animals just doesn't work.

Furthermore, it's common sense to wash your hands after you've handled either the raw food or animal poop ... whether the poop is from an animal that at raw food or commercially prepared food.

[AirmensMom]

30. I second that suggestion.

Raw food has done wonders for our kitties. :toast:

[Doremus]

15. Yikes. Long-term, that would be almost as unhealthy for them as rat poison

Dinty Moore is loaded with sodium and cats need many more nutrients than a tuna diet can provide.

There are many pet foods that 1) haven't been involved in recalls, and 2) use quality ingredients, i.e. no fillers like corn and wheat and no nasties like meat by-products, etc.

Some brands to check into:

Merrick
Eagle Pack
Natural Balance
Felidae

There are many others. The site below has a list of quality foods. I haven't checked it for products made at Menu Foods, but it's a good starting point in your research:
http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#commercial

Our pets depend on us to give them a healthy diet. We owe it to them to buy them the best. It's actually cheaper in the long run because they eat less (no useless fillers) and fewer vet bills.

[Raine]

22. THANKS

for listing those brands. I'll give them a try...no more junk for my little companions.

[OhioChick]

12. Reimburse pet owners for what......

the food purchased, or for enormous vet bills for sick animals? How about the animals that have died?

[saracat]

13. I want my vet bills and replacement cost of another cat.

[Divernan]

17. Legal liability is limited to vet/medical costs, replacement of dead animals &/or

refunding costs of their products. That's the legal precedent in cases such as someone caught traping or poisoning domestic pets, or running one down with a car. So if you got your pet at the local pound, you get whatever fee it costs to adopt another one. If you had a purebred animal, you can get back your costs in purchasing it. The law makes no allowance for pain and suffering of owners in watching their pets suffer and/or die, or for the pain and suffering of the animals. And that pain and suffering is the primary injury which pet owners are suffering. Now if some senior citizen has been eating that food, they could sue for pain and suffering in addition to medical care costs. The manufacturer might try the defense that the product was not meant for human consumption, but that defense could be knocked down because it's been known for decades that elderly poor eat cat food and I haven't noticed any labels on the food marked, "unfit for human consumption".

On edit: if you had a purebred animal which you were using for breeding purposes, you could claim lost profits for the breeding life of the animal. And since purebred kittens like Norwegian Forest Cats are going for up to $800 a kitten, that could be substantial.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. See www.petconnection.com for comments by pet owners

This website has a blog, also links to veterinarians blogs, very helpful.

There have been thousands of pets sickened or killed by menu foods
dog food, the FDA has not done anything.

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/

None of my pets foods were on the list, but I am checking to
see where it was manufactured.

I think we have trusted the pet food industry too long.

[NashVegas]

21. The Real Issue Is Consolidation

40-50 brands made by one manufacturer.

[Critters2]

29. Yep. And the nonsense about one brand being better than another

The "premium" brands have basically committed fraud.

[MonkeyFunk]

33. No, they haven't

it's been explained to you before that simply coming from the same factory doesn't mean the products are equal.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

20. Class Action Lawsuit Info here

here is a website collecting info for class action:

http://progressivelaw.ezsitelaunch.com/main.asp?id=11