OTP: Pet Food Recall Has Animal Owners Frantic

Pet Food Recall Has Animal Owners Frantic
Saturday, March 17, 2007 1454 PDT

UNION, New Jersey -- Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet
food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers
of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were
recalled.

Menu Foods, the Ontario-based company that produced the pet food, said
Saturday it was recalling dog food sold under 48 brands and cat food
sold under 40 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was
distributed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico by major
retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger and Safeway.

An unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and
about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said.

Meanwhile, two other companies _ Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's
Pet Nutrition Inc. _ announced Saturday night that as a precaution
they were voluntarily recalling some products made by Menu Foods.

Many stores that sold the affected brands frantically pulled packages
off shelves.

At a Petsmart store in Union, Silviene Grzybowski became worried when
the four types of Iams products she buys for her cat, Smokey, had
vanished from shelves. The cat was very sick and had not been eating
for days, she said.

"The vet told us to buy her her favorite food, but I'm going to call
the vet right now," Grzybowski said, looking at an announcement
Petsmart had taped to shelves announcing the recall.

Ron Finegold of Boynton Beach, Fla., said he noticed about a week or
so ago that his family's 3-year-old cat _ who was regularly fed a
variety of Iams cat food _ had stopped eating and did not appear well.
He quickly took the animal to the veterinarian, who determined she was
in renal failure.

He said he heard about the recall on the radio Friday night. He
checked his trash, and found out he had given the cat some of the
affected food.

"That's when I realized (the illness) had to be related," Finegold
said. "She won't be eating that stuff anymore."

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes,
descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods
Web site, http://www.menufoods.com/recall. The company also designated
two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information _ (866)
463-6738 and (866) 895-2708 _ but callers kept the lines busy for much
of Saturday.

Menu Foods' chief executive and president Paul Henderson told the
Associated Press on Friday that the company was still trying to figure
out what happened.

He said that the company had received an undisclosed number of owner
complaints that dogs and cats were vomiting and suffering kidney
failure after eating its products. He estimated that the recall would
cost the company, which is mostly owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund,
an estimated $26 million to $34 million.

Sarah Tuite, a company spokeswoman, has said the recalled products
were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, which has
since been dropped for another source. Wheat gluten is a source of
protein.

Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said it is
still too early to determine what could have affected the food.
Zawisza added that even if wheat gluten is the source "it doesn't
necessarily mean the wheat gluten per se. It could be another
substance associated with the wheat gluten."

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which
consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil
pouches from Dec. 3 to March 6.

In Omaha, Neb., Susan Balvanz said she sometimes feeds her five cats
packets of sliced meat and gravy sold by Nutro Products, one of the
brands affected.

"I've done so much research on pet food. It didn't surprise me but it
scared me all the same," said Balvanz.

She said her 9-year-old cat, Boots, was especially fond of the food
but seemed to have lost its appetite in the last few days.

At the Missouri Valley Veterinary Clinic in Bismarck, N.D.,
veterinarian Jacob Carlson has been referring worried pet owners to
the Menu Foods web site.

"We've had a lot of calls," Carlson said, although none of his
patients were sick.

The company said it makes pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American
retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet
food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.