Information on Pet Food Recalls

On September 13th, 2007, the AVMA issued a statement warning people of complaints that multiple brands of jerky treats imported from China have been causing kidney failure in dogs. The FDA is investigating these claims, and issued their own warning on September 26th. They have ruled out melamine as a possible cause. No products have yet been recalled. See the AVMA's Resources page on this topic for more info.

Here's the rest of the story: On August 20th, it was learned that Wal-Mart had quietly removed Chicken Jerky treats made by two Chinese companies from their shelves on July 26th, due to complaints about the treats making dogs ill. No recall has been issued. Wal-Mart is no longer selling the treats, but other stores, such as K-Mart, are still doing so. The brands that were removed are Bestro and Pingyang Pet Product Co. 

On September 14th, PetSmart removed various Smokehouse brand treats from their shelves due to reports of pets becoming ill. No recall has been issued. An anecdotal report was posted September 9th warning against SmokeHouse Chicken Breast Tenders Treats sold at PetSmart (and likely elsewhere), also made in China. This product is reportedly being investigated by Cornell, but information is available only to vets, not to the public. 

It is possible that other brands of chicken jerky may also be affected, such as the Kingdom Pets brand sold at Costco, and the Waggin' Train brand, which are also imported from China, as there are unconfirmed, anecdotal reports of dogs becoming ill after eating them, though no testing has been done. See this article for another report on Bestro Chicken Jerky making dogs ill and leading to at least one death (read the comments at the bottom of these stories for even more information). The Pet Food Tracker site also has information on the many online reports of non-recalled dog treats suspected of causing illness/deaths (including Waggin Train which has not been pulled). 

See these Itchmo stories for more information:
11/14: Reports Of Dog Illnesses From Chicken Jerky Treats Continue
10/3: Managing Director Of Bestros Assures Chicken Jerky Treats For Dogs Safe
9/26: FDA Cautions Pet Owners About Chicken Jerky Products For Dogs
9/21: FDA Continues To Investigate Chicken Jerky Pet Treats
9/19: AVMA Issues FAQ's About Alert For Pet Jerky Treats
9/17: Symptoms Of Affected Dogs From Jerky Treats Compared To Fanconi Syndrome
9/14: Smokehouse Brand Dog Treats Pulled From PetSmart Shelves
9/14: Indiana State Chemist Office Releases More Test Results For Chicken Jerky
8/30: Wal-Mart: Refund Only, No Dog Vet Expenses For Bestros
8/25: More Claims Of Chicken Jerky Strips Causing Death And Illness In Dogs
8/23: No Melamine Found In Chicken Jerky Strips Dog Treats By Indiana State Chemist
8/22: Chicken Jerky Strips For Dogs Still Being Tested By FDA
8/22: Melamine Found In Wal-Mart Bestros Chicken Jerky Strips For Dogs
8/20: FDA Investigating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips In Dogs' Deaths
8/17: Wal-Mart Removes Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips After Dog Death

On September 18th, Bravo! issued a voluntary recall of three specific batches of three of their ground chicken and turkey products due to the possibility of contamination with salmonella and listeria monocytogenes. There have been no reports of dogs being adversely affected by these foods, nor are these findings surprising or cause for concern.

Healthy dogs can handle salmonella in their systems without a problem. In fact, Salmonella can be isolated from healthy dogs and cats at rates of up to 36% and 18%, respectively (http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/zoonoses/GIk9fel/salmonella.html). I normally do not list any recalls involving salmonella here for this reason.

Listeria is less common and less is known about it, but it may be similar in that it appears unlikely to affect healthy dogs. The Merck Veterinary Manual reports, "Listeria organisms have been isolated from feces of a significant number of apparently healthy people as well as other animals." The book Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections in Animals says, "Septicemic listeriosis in dogs and cats is extremely rare, although generalized infection and meningitis were reported for a Doberman." A study done in Turkey reported incidences of listeria in the stools of around 1% of healthy dogs in a variety of countries, including Finland, Germany and Japan. Another site reports, "Listeriosis is rarely reported in dogs and can cause encephalitis, including circling and abortion. In a survey of domestic animals, L. monocytogenes was detected in 1.3% of dog fecal samples and 0.4% of cat fecal samples." 

The CDC, talking about listeriosis in people, says, "Listeria monocytogenes is found in soil and water. Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer. Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin such as meats and dairy products. The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, as well as in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts at the deli counter. Unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk may contain the bacterium. Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging."

You should always practice good hygiene when dealing with raw foods, whether for yourself or for your pets, being careful to wash your hands and all cleaning surfaces. Remember that Bravo! uses human-grade, USDA-inspected and approved meats, so if there is bacteria in Bravo! products, there is also bacteria in the meat we buy at the supermarket. 

At this time, I don't see a reason for concern about the Bravo! Foods recall, which appears to be the result of the FDA targeting manufacturers of raw pet foods (possibly to distract attention from their failure to handle the recalls related to melamine and cyanuric acid properly). Personally, I wish the FDA would apply their efforts to tracking down and recalling the imported products that are still causing illness and death in many pets (note that recalls have yet to be issued for the chicken jerky treats which have been reportedly causing kidney failure in dogs since at least July), rather than foods that have not harmed any pets.

More info on the Bravo web site. Also, see Pet Connection's take on the recall.

There have been recurrent complaints over the last several  months from people claiming that Nutro Max products made their pets sick. These foods have not been recalled and there are no reports of contaminants being found. I've been reluctant to include this warning without any confirmation, but the name keeps coming up. See Pet Owners Blame Nutro Products for their Dogs' Illnesses for more info, along with Itchmo's Voluntary Dry Food Reports from last March, and this post and this thread for examples of the stories I keep hearing. I contacted Mr. Boivin at the FDA, who denied that there were any problems with any dry foods as of 3/24, but when I contacted him again on 3/30, after dry foods began to be recalled, he did not respond.

In August, it was learned that the FDA blocked more than 100 Nutro products from entering the country in July, due to "poisonous substances and unsafe additives." See FDA Blocks Nutro Pet Food Shipment from Entering U.S. for more information. Also see the actual Refusal Actions from the FDA. Nutro has not been very responsive to those who have inquired, but you can read their statement saying that these were recalled products being returned from overseas on Itchmo: Nutro Responds To FDA Blocking Their Cat And Dog Food Products In July

There have been recurrent reports of ExperTox, a Texas lab, finding acetaminophen (Tylenol) in several brands of pet foods. The FDA has been unable to confirm these reports and is not investigating further. The ASPCA investigated and were also unable to find any contamination. A number of companies and individuals have had the tests repeated at other labs, and none have been able to confirm the reports. It appears likely that acetaminophen contamination is not a concern, and ExperTox is incorrectly identifying it in foods. See these Itchmo stories for more info:

• 9/14: Canidae Releases Statement: Canidae's Pet Food Tests Negative For Acetaminophen
• 9/9: Canidae Denies Pet Food Contains Acetaminophen
• 9/5: Canidae Responds To Acetaminophen Test Results
• 7/1: Update On Consumers Testing For Toxins In Cat And Dog Food
• 6/29: ASPCA Believes Fear Of Acetaminophen In Pet Food To Be Unfounded
• 6/15: FDA Disputes Acetaminophen In Pet Food
• 6/13: FDA Says No Pain Killer In Pet Food

Also see this web site from someone whose cat died after eating Pet Pride food that was found to be contaminated with acetaminophen. 

Update 11/15/07: Study shows that the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid causes kidney failure within 12 hours in cats. Either ingredient by itself is not harmful. See Itchmo for more info.

Here are details on products recalled after the initial Menu Foods recall, newest to oldest (see the complete list of recalled products at the Recalled Pet Food Tracker):

• On July 21, the Castleberry Foods voluntary recall on human food due to possible botulism contamination was expanded to include Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs. Natural Balance reports that, as of July 22nd, there have been no consumer complaints or reports regarding these products. See the FDA's news release and the Natural Balance site for more info.
• On June 12th, cyanuric acid was found in an unopened can of Hill's Science Diet Light Adult canned dog formula, which has not been recalled. The food was submitted to ExperTox for testing by a pet owner whose dog had gone into kidney failure after eating it. See Itchmo for more info.
• On May 24th, testing found melamine comtamination in an open bag of Iams Large Breed dry dog food. Iams says they have been unable to confirm this finding. Itchmo is asking people to help find an unopened 20 lb. bag of Iams Large Breed dry dog food that matches the lot number: 260608 70574173 F4 US30940 with the expiration date of 6/26/08. If found, please email tips@itchmo.com so that they can arrange to have the food tested.
• Menu Foods added two new items to their recall list on May 22nd that they said had been overlooked in the past (both Chicken and Gravy canned foods).
• On May 21st, melamine was found in a food that had not yet been recalled: Nutra Nuggets. At least four dogs have suffered kidney damage after eating this food. The contaminated food was made at Diamond's California plant and cross-contamination was the cause. Diamond recalled the food on May 23rd.
• Chenango Valley Pet Foods expanded its recall on May 17th due to the possibility of cross-contamination. Recalled brands include Drs. Foster & Smith, Evolve, Lick Your Chops and more. A ferret food was also recalled.
• Royal Canin recalled eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products on May 11th. This is in addition to other Royal Canin products recalled earlier (see below).
• Doctors Foster and Smith issued a recall on May 4th for their Dry Adult Dog Food Lamb & Brown Rice Formula due to possible cross-contamination. This is in addition to other foods recalled earlier (see web site and below).
• SmartPak expanded their recall on May 3rd to include all lots of LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice. due to finding melamine, possibly from cross-contamination, as this product dosn't contain wheat gluten, rice protein or any other ingredient's on the FDA's import watch list. This new recall is in addition to their earlier recall of LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food on April 20th.
• Menu Foods expanded their recall on May 2nd to include a large number of additional canned and pouched foods sold under a variety of names, including Nutro, Drs Foster & Smith, Natural Ultramix (Castor & Pollux), Natural Life and more. 19 new brands of cat food and 10 new brands of dog food were added.
• Harmony Farms made the decision to recall all canned dog and cat foods and all dog treats, after discovering that American Foods had added rice protein concentrate to some of them without their knowledge or consent.
• American Foods recalled additional canned dog and cat foods (and one brand of baked dog treats) on April 27th, including varieties of Blue Buffalo, Canine Caviar, Harmony Farms and Mulligan Stew. This is in addition to the earlier Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, Diamond and Costco recalls listed below. 
• Blue Buffalo recalled their Spa Select Kitten Dry Food, which has rice protein in it, on April 19th. Only one batch of food was affected, most of which they were able to prevent from ever making it to stores. They made the further decision to recall all "Blue" Canned Dog Foods, "Blue Spa Select" Canned Cat Foods and "Blue" Dog Treats on April 26th, after learning that American Nutrition, the manufacturer of these products, had added rice protein concentrate to some of their foods without their knowledge or consent. 
• Natural Balance issued a recall for 4 additional foods on April 26th after being informed by American Nutrition that they may contain contaminated rice protein concentrate that was added without Natural Balance's knowledge or consent: 
• Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 
• Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 
• Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 
• Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food 
That is in addition to these foods that were recalled April 17th:
• Venison and Brown Rice dry food for dogs
• Venison and Brown Rice canned food  for dogs
• Venison and Brown Rice baked dog treats
• Venison and Green Pea Dry Cat Formula
• Diamond Pet Foods issued a recall for these foods on April 26th after being informed by American Nutrition that they may contain contaminated rice protein concentrate that was added without Diamond's knowledge or consent: 
• Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Puppy Formula 
• Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten Formula 
• Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 
• Costco issued a recall for their Kirkland Signature Premium Canned Food on April 26th, due to possibly contaminated "rice flour." These foods have been recalled:
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Chicken and Rice Canned food for Dogs
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Lamb and Rice Canned food for Dogs
• Chenango Valley Pet Foods issued a recall for these foods on April 25th: 
• Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Lite Dry Dog Chicken & Brown Rice 
• Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Lite Dry Chicken & Brown Rice formula Cat foods
• Lick Your Chops Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg Cat Food
• Bulk Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food sold to SmartPak (see below) 
• Royal Canin recalled a number of their Sensible Choice and Veterinary Diet formulas on April 19th due to the presence of contaminated rice protein concentrate. Royal Canin Canada (Medi-Cal) has recalled additional Veterinary Diet formulas. Royal Canin also recalled, earlier this week, some products manufactured and sold in South Africa due to melamine contamination in corn gluten, but stated that they do not use any corn gluten from China in their US products.
• Blue Buffalo recalled their Spa Select Kitten Dry Food, which has rice protein in it, on April 19th. Only one batch of food was affected, most of which they were able to prevent from ever making it to stores.
• Menu Foods added Natural Life vegetarian canned dog food to the recall on April 17th. They have also added expanded production dates of eight varieties previously recalled.
• Menu Foods added a number of new canned cat foods made at their plant in Canada to their list of recalled foods on April 10th. This was after melamine was found in several Nutro Max canned cat foods. All contain contaminated wheat gluten. 
• Royal Canin has recalled Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet as of April 10th.
• Sunshine Mills has recalled treats marketed under the  brand names Nurture, Pet Life, Lassie, Companion's Best, State Brothers, Ol' Roy, Champion Breed and Perfect Pals.
• Hill's has voluntarily recalled their Feline Prescription Diet m/d Dry Food
• Del Monte has recalled pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train® Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands (new date codes were added 4/6)
• Purina has recalled ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy canned food and Mighty Dog pouch products. 

A number of companies have instituted testing for melamine (and some for cyanuric acid) since the recall. Here are some that I know about, none of which have had any foods recalled:

• Natura Pet Products, makers of Innova, EVO, California Natural and HealthWise foods, have had no recalled products. On May 14th they issued a press release stating that all of their foods have been tested and will continue to be tested by an independent laboratory for melamine contamination. No contamination has been found. These foods would appear to be safe to feed.
• Eagle Pack: All products are tested for melamine. Dry foods are manufactured in their own plant. Eagle Pack is EU (European Union) certified, which requires disclosure of the country of origin of their ingredients. They have eliminated Chinese-sourced ingredients except where it is not possible to do so (see their statement for more info).
• Castor & Pollus Organix: Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid.
• Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard: Products are tested for melamine and cyanuric acid.

The Honest Kitchen: Foods are made in a human food manufacturing facility, and are tested for melamine.

If your pet has eaten any of the recalled foods, have your vet do blood work to check for problems. Don't wait until symptoms appear, which may include drinking and urinating more than usual, vomiting, lethargy and lack of appetite.

If you think your pet may have been affected by one of the recalled foods, it's important to talk to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state, and follow their instructions for submitting information, in order for them to verify what has happened. The more hard evidence they have, the better they will be able to respond to this problem.

Resources for more information:

• Menu Foods has added a section on "Claims Information" for folks whose pets were affected by their foods.
• Itchmo has put together a summary of all information of everything we know about the recall, including information on having foods tested yourself.
• See The Pet Food List for information on brands not affected by the recall.
• Go to Pet Connection for updates and to add information about affected pets to their database. Also see this call for action for advice on writing to your legislators to ask for specific legislation that will help stop something like this from happening again.
• See the FDA's Pet Food Recall site for information on how to report adverse reactions to their database.
• The ASPCA Pet Food Recall Resource Center has more info on both melamine and aminopterin. 
• The ASPCA issued a press release on May 3rd that includes some newer information about treatment for kidney damage caused by the melamine contamination. The AVMA, ACVIM and VIN have information for veterinarians and pet owners about treating pets that may have been affected. AVMA has also posted instructions for vets on submitting samples and reporting cases here.
• Help get recalled foods off the shelves -- see this open letter.
• Some labs are offering to test suspected pet foods for free (samples must be submitted by your veterinarian). See UC Davis’ California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System and Iowa State University . Your state health department or veterinary medical association might also be able to do testing, or point you at who can. 
• Vets can report suspected cases via the AAVLD Pet Food Toxicity Survey, which is collecting information for the FDA. Vin members should also report suspected cases on their web site.
• Canadians can report suspected cases of illness caused by the contaminated foods to CFIA vet Hugh Baker, (416) 665-5044. You will need to provide information about the food that was consumed, and your veterinarian.

Wheat gluten imported from China that was contaminated with melamine was responsible for the original recall that began on March 16th, when Menu Foods recalled 95 brands dating back to November, 2006. Menu Foods recalled further products on March 24th, April 5th and April 10th as further contaminated products were discovered. Note that Menu Foods had received complaints of their foods harming pets as early as February 22nd, and had seen their own test animals start dying by Febrary 27th. They ceased using the suspected contaminated wheat gluten on March 8th, but did not initiate their first recall until pushed into it by Iams. See Pet-food recall: Timing and triggers and its link to The Great Pet Food Scandal for a synopsis.

On April 17th, a rice protein concentrate, also imported from China but from a different company, was found to be contaminated with melamine and causing illness. The company that supplied the rice protein said it shipped this product to five pet food manufacturers. 

On April 19th, South Africa reported that corn gluten contaminated with melamine was causing pet illness and death. Once again, the food originated from China. We don't know if any contaminated corn gluten has been used in pet foods in the US or Canada, though Royal Canin, the company that made the food in South Africa, has stated that none of the foods sold in the US contain corn gluten from China.

On April 20th, Royal Canin reported finding a new contaminant, cyanuric acid, which is chemically related to, but distinct from, melamine, in rice gluten. Scientists in Canada now think that the cyanuric acid may have chemically reacted with the melamine to cause kidney failure. The NY Times reports that cyanuric acid, like melamine, was likely intentionally added to increase profits.

On April 25th, American Nutrition, a major pet food manufacturer, informed a number of companies that contaminated rice protein concentrate (identified in at least one case as "rice flour") had been used in some of their products, some without the company's knowledge or consent, and without being disclosed on their labels. Affected brands that have since been recalled include Kirkland (Costco), Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, Diamond,Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Harmony Farms, Canine Caviar and Mulligan Stew (see below for more info). 

On April 27th, the FDA quietly expanded its hold on imported foods to include Wheat Gluten, Rice Gluten, Rice Protein, Rice Protein Concentrate, Corn Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal, Corn By-Products, Soy Protein, Soy Gluten, Mung Bean Protein, Soy Bean Meal/Powder/Gluten/Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Powder, Wheat Gluten, Wheat Flour Gluten, Wheat Gluten, Rice Protein, Rice Gluten, Rice Protein, Corn Gluten, Milled Rice Products, Amino acids and protein hydrosylates.

On May 2nd, the FDA announced it was expanding the Menu Foods recall to include products which do not contain contaminated wheat gluten but which were produced during the same period and were cross-contaminated. In addition to foods sold in the US and Canada, two foods sold in Europe were added to the list. Foods from other manufacturers have been recalled in the days since due to cross-contamination (see updates below). See the full list of newly recalled Menu Foods products here and the complete list of recalled brands at the Recalled Pet Food Tracker

On May 8th, the FDA announced that tests on contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate (RPC) showed that these ingredients were actually simple wheat flour spiked with melamine and cyanuric acid to increase the protein levels and make them appear to be something else.

At some point, the "worry date" of melamine contamination was also pushed back from November, 2006 to July or August, 2006. The NY Times reports that melamine contamination in China is widespread and deliberate, and has been going on for years.