|
Petfood recall hits pet owners hard |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Steve Dale, McClatchy-Tribune
|
|
Wednesday, 28 March 2007 |
|
|
|
|
"I felt I had killed my cat; I mean, who would expect buying the best possible food for her might kill her?" says Linda Frahm, of Palatine, Ill.
Basti adopted the Frahm family three years ago. She adored Linda and Tim's three children, demanding affection and giving twice as much back in return. Basti fell ill shortly after eating tainted pet food, and was promptly treated by the family vet. Feeling the cat would be more comfortable at home, Linda administered fluids and followed the vet's instructions. Her 17-year-old daughter slept on the floor with Basti, stroking the beloved pet all night.
The next day, Linda encouraged her two oldest children (her daughter and 11-year-old son) to attend an event at the local high school. When they returned, Basti was dead. "It's so hard to watch this happen to a family member we loved with all our hearts," says Frahm. "It was harder to tell my kids. Dying of old age or a natural illness is a part of life. This is not what happened to Basti."
The family vet confirmed that Basti ate some of the food that was recalled and died of acute kidney disease, consistent with what's happened to other pets sickened by the contaminated food.
The good news is, the majority of pets who ate contaminated food seem to be recovering, said Dr. Richard Goldstein, an internal medicine specialist and assistant professor of small-animal medicine at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y.
Sadly, however, even when cats recover from kidney failure, the healing often is not 100 percent. Sometimes such cats suffer chronic problems for the rest of their lives.
"It's too early to say whether that will be the case with these cats," Goldstein says.
Cats seem more affected than dogs by the contaminated food, and smaller dogs more so than larger ones. Presumably, what's made them sick is the contaminant found in the recalled foods (produced by Menu Foods manufacturing plants in New Jersey and Kansas), a rodenticide called aminopterin. More than 90 brands were included in the historic pet food recall, all moist foods. To date, there's no reason to believe dry or prescription pet foods are affected.
The New York State Food Laboratory in Albany identified the foreign substance as aminopterin on March 23. "The finding is real," says Goldstein, who's working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at his lab, the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell. "This is a preliminary finding," Goldstein adds. "We're working to further validate this finding and also to seek any other possible contaminants. This may not be a done deal."
Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA in Rockville, Md., confirmed that the search continues for a complete explanation, and that there may be more to the story than aminopterin.
Meanwhile, some consumers are seeking alternatives to traditional pet foods. "I understand this is a difficult and confusing time," says Dr. Kathryn Michel, a veterinary nutritionist and associate professor of nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, in Philadelphia. "Raw food may have harmful bacteria or protozoa and we have seen many problems as a result. Home cooking requires a lot of work and a lot of homework since nutritional needs are so different for our pets than for people. Just opening a can of salmon or tuna (meant for human consumption) and feeding that to cats, for example, can cause serious nutritional deficiencies."
Officially, fewer than 20 pets have died, according to the FDA, though Sundlof conceded the number may ultimately be many times that. Goldstein said Web sites posting speculative figures are creating more problems, even causing unnecessary panic. "The reality is that as we move further away from the original recall, at some point soon we will see no new cases of illness."
Frahm says, "I know many people are working hard to get to the bottom of this so it can never happen again. They need to, so we know Basti didn't die in vain."
(For a complete report on the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine March 23 news conference, information on where to officially report if you feel your pet has been affected by tainted food, and credible links for information on the recall, go to www.stevedalepetworld.com)
___
(Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column. Write to Steve at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207. Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)AOL.com. Include your name, city and state. Steve's Web site is www.stevedalepetworld.com.) | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
