Someone at work today gave me the heads up about a big pet food recall involving cat and dog food that could cause kidney failure.
Menu Foods Income Fund today announced the precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of the Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.
As many as one in six animals died in tests of suspect dog and cat food by the manufacturer after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country, the government said Monday.
A federal investigation is focusing on wheat gluten as the likely source of contamination that sparked a recall last Friday of 60 million cans and pouches of the suspect food, said Stephen F. Sundlof, the Food and Drug Administration's top veterinarian.
The ingredient, a protein source, is commonly used as filler.
Apparently, the food can cause kidney failure in pets, and is more deadly to cats than to dogs. You can get more info about the specific pet foods affected here for cats, and here for dogs.
We've bought the Science Diet Savory Cuts brand before, but that's the stuff with chunks, and our cats don't like it as much, thank goodness. Apparently, only wet food is affected. In any event, if you've got pets, check things out immediately.
Damn.