identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Cans of pet food fill a cart at a Miami store after the March 17 recall of brands linked to kidney failure and death in animals. Rat poison was detected in the food.

Reed Saxon, AP

A Yorkshire terrier receives care Wednesday in Los Angeles after eating potentially tainted food. The products were wet foods packaged in cans and pouches.

Signs of Trouble

Experts advise owners to call their veterinarian if a pet has eaten recalled food and shows symptoms of possible kidney failure. An animal could be in trouble if it:

· Stops eating
· Appears tired and lifeless
· Seems excessively thirsty
· Urinates much more than usual
· Vomits
· Has diarrhea
· Seems to have abdominal pain

Source: USA Today

 

Gerry Broome, AP

The maker of the products is Menu Foods. The poison was identified as aminopterin, which some nations use to kill rodents. In the U.S., it is used as a cancer drug.

 

By MARK JOHNSON

AP

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

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.

"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.

Aminopterin is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, the amount of aminopterin found - 40 parts per million - can cause kidney failure, according to Bruce Akey, director of Cornell's diagnostic center.

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.

New update I saw on my TV News that the China gluten was in our human foods? Ann

Contaminated Pet Food Causes Human Food Scare as Chinese Imports Ri... Contaminated Pet Food Causes Human Food Scare as Chinese Imports Rise ... "Frankly, I was not surprised to read about the wheat gluten poisoning incident," ...http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/03-28-2007/0004555257&EDATE=WED+Mar+28+2007,+12:15+PM

 

KRDO.com - Colorado Springs - Pueblo - Human Concerns To Pet Food .... Wheat Gluten Is Found In BothPet Food And Human Food ... It may have been the ingredient contaminated with rat poison, when it was shipped from China. ...http://www.krdotv.com/story.cfm?nav=news&storyID=2703

 

FDA doubts that poisoned wheat gluten is in human food supply. I think China is the go-to guy for wheat gluten, because they invented it. ... The dog food debacle is a warning shot over the bow of the human food ...www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5...