Following the recall of over 90 brands and 60 million packages of dog and cat food linked to kidney failure, many retailers in North America are being inundated by worried pet owners returning product or asking for advice.

On Saturday March 17th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a notice stating it had been informed that Menu Foods Inc, a private-label pet food manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, is recalling its “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food made at its factory in Emporia, Kansas, USA, between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007.

It is believed that another Menu Foods factory at Pennsauken in Kansas is also affected.

The cat and dog food, which comprises chunks of meat in gravy, is sold under over 90 different brands in cans and foil pouches in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The total recall volume is estimated to be around 60 million cans and pouches.

The recall was prompted by complaints from dog and cat owners in the US and tasting trials by the manufacturer.

The FDA has received reports of ten deaths, one dog and nine cats, from kidney failure believed to have been contracted after eating the affected pet food.

Various media reports also state that Menu Foods have since tested about 50 animals with the suspected food and seven of them have died.

Meanwhile, Menu Foods have been testing the product to find the cause of the problem but as yet have not established it. However, in a statement released last Friday, they said that the complaints coincided with introduction of a new ingredient from a new supplier, and they have taken the precaution of not using it any more until they can track down the source of the problem.

Other reports suggest that a wheat gluten ingredient could be the culprit, but as yet this is not confirmed.

According to Press of Atlantic City, one pet store manager with 10 years experience in the pet-care industry said he has never seen a recall on this scale before.

And in Oregon, a spokeswoman for an emergency animal hospital in Portland reported a sharp increase in the number of cats and dogs admitted with kidney failure in the three months, which they suspect is linked to the recalled pet food but they are not sure, according to a report in the Oregonian.

There are also reports of veterinary clinics asking customers to bring their cat or dog in for a blood test.

In the meantime, if you think your dog or cat has eaten some of the recalled product and is showing symptoms of kidney failure (loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, increased urination and thirst), you should take it to your veterinarian as soon as possible.

The products are sold in cans and pouches under various brand names by many retailers, including: Ahold USA, Kroger Company, Safeway, Wal-Mart Stores, PetSmart, and Pet Valu.

The manufacturer has released a detailed list of all the brands and packages included in the recall. If you have any of these you should not feed them to your pet.

Cat Food Recall

According to the manufacturer, Menu Foods, the cat food recall includes the following brands:

1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets, 2. Authority, 3. Best Choice,
4. Companion, 5. Compliments, 6. Demoulas Market Basket, 7. Eukanuba,
8. Fine Feline Cat, 9. Food Lion, 10. Foodtown,
11. Giant Companion, 12. Hannaford, 13. Hill Country Fare,
14. Hy-Vee, 15. Iams, 16. Laura Lynn,
17. Li’l Red, 18. Loving Meals, 19. Meijer’s Main Choice,
20. Nutriplan, 21. Nutro Max Gourmet Classics, 22. Nutro Natural Choice,
23. Paws, 24. Pet Pride, 25. Presidents Choice,
26. Price Chopper, 27. Priority US, 28. Save-A-Lot,
29. Schnucks, 30. Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans,
31. Sophistacat, 32. Special Kitty Canada,
33. Special Kitty US, 34. Springfield Prize, 35. Sprout,
36. Stop & Shop Companion, 37. Tops Companion,
38. Wegmans, 39. Weis Total Pet, 40. Western Family US,
41. White Rose, and 42. Winn Dixie.

Dog Food Recall

According to the manufacturer, Menu Foods the dog food recall includes the following brands:

1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets, 2. Authority, 3. Award,
4. Best Choice, 5. Big Bet, 6. Big Red,
7. Bloom, 8. Wegmans Bruiser, 9. Cadillac,
10. Companion, 11. Demoulas Market Basket, 12. Eukanuba,
13. Food Lion, 14. Giant Companion, 15. Great Choice,
16. Hannaford, 17. Hill Country Fare, 18. Hy-Vee,
19. Iams, 20. Laura Lynn, 21. Loving Meals,
22. Meijers Main Choice, 23. Mighty Dog Pouch, 24. Mixables,
25. Nutriplan, 26. Nutro Max, 27. Nutro Natural Choice,
28. Nutro Ultra, 29. Nutro, 30. Ol’Roy Canada,
31. Ol’Roy US, 32. Paws, 33. Pet Essentials,
34. Pet Pride – Good n Meaty, 35. Presidents Choice,
36. Price Chopper, 37. Priority Canada, 38. Priority US,
39. Publix, 40. Roche Brothers, 41. Save-A-Lot,
42. Schnucks, 43. Shep Dog, 44. Springsfield Prize,
45. Sprout, 46. Stater Brothers, 47. Stop & Shop Companion,
48. Tops Companio, 49. Weis Total Pet, 50. Western Family US,
51. White Rose, 52. Winn Dixie, and 53. Your Pet.

Menu Foods is a major manufacturer of wet pet foods that is sold by supermarkets, specialty retailers, mass merchandisers and wholesalers in North America and last year shipped more than 1 billion packages of pet food.

Meanwhile the FDA and the manufacturer are working together to make sure the recall is effective.

Concerned consumers can:

– Phone the manufacturer on 1-866-895-2708
– Visit the manufacturer’s website www.menufoods.com/recall where detailed descriptions of each affected brand and package are listed.
– Report problems to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.
– Contact their state FDA complaint co-ordinator.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today