Delay in Menu Food Pet Food Recall
Saturday March 24, 2007
This man is hot, and I don't blame him a bit. Like many other cat lovers he is questioning why it took THREE months for Menu Foods to issue its recall of those tainted foods. People were reporting deaths of pets to Menu Foods as early as February 20th, and Menu Foods took the time to test the suspect products on other animals. After seven of them died also, they finally posted their announcement of the recall, on March 16th. Avram, the blogger at New Cat City, goes into some equally disturbing information about the sights and events observed by an undercover PeTA member who worked at one of the Menu Foods Labs.
Are we mad as hell yet?
Are we mad as hell yet?
Comments
They are still delaying!!! I was informed that there are more recalls, but the list has yet to be updated!!!
I have no proof…but it is highly likely I lost my Cinder to this horrific incident! The product I used is not on the recall list…yet…but is a Menu Foods produced cuts & gravy style. (They only list pouches for cats in the USA, but list canned for Canada. I don’t trust this at all!)
I hope this company is held accountable for their part in this nightmare!!!
My heart goes out to those who have beloved critters that have fallen victim to this tragedy!
How can we find out if the food is manufactured by Menu Foods? If you look at the packaging for the ones recalled, it doesn’t say Menu Foods on it. Personally, I will never buy anything from any company that associates with them again – IF I can find out about it.
Everytime I look at my furbaby, who got sick but has recovered, I just cry. I love her so much and I was feeding her poison. I can only imagine what you are going through – I don’t know if I could have survived.
CrazyCatLady71 says: They are still delaying!!! I was informed that there are more recalls, but the list has yet to be updated!!!
You have voiced the fears of a lot of pet owners. However, I’d like to know exactly where you received this information and from whom. Unsubstantiated heresay only adds to the current climate of fear.
If you heard this information from someone at Menu Foods or from the FDA or some other reliable source, please email me at cats.guide@about.com.
I was just on the Howl911 site and it had information about the expanded recall. The recall is now for any of Menu Foods cuts and gravy style foods regardless of production date. There is a link there to the AP news article. It is true that the Menu Foods website does not appear to be fully updated. I was checking the Nutro website, and they are now updated, listed the foods and upc codes with no batch dates anymore.
chococat says: I was just on the Howl911 site and it had information about the expanded recall. The recall is now for any of Menu Foods cuts and gravy style foods regardless of production date.
I am not familiar with “How1911″ and a Google search finds nothing. Could you please post the URL?
http://www.howl911.com/
Susan-
Menu Foods is a branch of Colgate-Palmotive.
I think this is just horrible! I’m just relieved that neither of my cats ate any of the food! It must feel horrible to have lost a cat over this.
Monique says: Menu Foods is a branch of Colgate-Palmotive.
I don’t think so, Monique. Colgate-Palmolive is a customer of Menu Foods as is Proctor&Gamble, another huge conglomerate. But I’m willing to be proven wrong, if you can back up that information.
Franny
I am continually frustrated by the simple lack of communication from Menu. When even the expanded recall is announced, not through the Menu website, but through various news outlets with no way to confirm or deny the facts with Menu, it drives me nuts.
Given the lack of communications and the “bunker down and save our bottom line” attitude that Menu has been showing so far, I have no difficulty believing that Menu may have known about the product problems for quite a while before announcing the recall. Even if the only knew about it for a few days (which they informed the FDA the day before they made the recall public, so we know they delayed the recall at least that much), that’s another chance for thousands of pets to eat a batch of contaminated food.
I just found out my cat has the start of kidney failure, hopefully we found it in time the doctor gave me lasix to give him, this is supposed to make him wet,and run the poison through his system, my husband and I decided to try and flush him ourselves by pumping him full of water every hour to try to get him to urinate & maby help push the poison through his kidneys. I dont know if this will work but I will try anything,I cant just sit back and watch what might happen.
I think this Menu Foods should be put out of business NO SECOND CHANCES!! If they hadn’ taken so long and so many animals had’nt died I’d say accidents happen but now no forgiving.As for as paying for my loss,If they think money can appease me well you know the song MONEY CAN’T BUY ME LOVE!!!And my MR. Cat can.
Dear Cats-
If you go to http://www.hillspet.com (part of Menu Foods), and look under careers you will find this statement,”Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a $1.5 billion global division of Colgate-Palmolive and the maker of Science Diet and Prescription Diet brand pet foods.”
I’m not the type to spout off false information.
Monique, I repeat: hillspet.com is NOT a “part of Menu Foods.” Its parent company, Colgate-Palmolive is a customer of Menu Foods and NOT its owner.
Again, if you can find Menu Foods listed under Colgate-Palmolive’s *holdings*, OR find Colgate-Palmolive as a major *investor* (as opposed to customer) of Menu Foods, I’ll gladly retract and apologize.
I know you don’t *intend* to spout off false information, but I think you are mistaken in this particular issue.
Menu Foods manufactures pet food for Colgate-Palmolive by contract, just as it does for those other companies listed in the recall. It is not owned by any of them, to my knowledge.
Franny Syufy
I stand corrected. Hill’s, a division of Colgate-Pamolive, does buy pet food manufactured by Menu. No need to get nasty though.
Sorry if you thought I was being nasty, Monique. I’ve put in 12-hour work days covering this recall in the week since it’s been announced. The lack of information from the sources closest to this whole mess are just as frustrating to me as they are to my readers, particularly since I’m trying to bring y’all the *facts* as close as I can get them.
Franny
No problem Franny. As a surgical RN, I realize what it is like to work a period of grueling 16 hour days under severely frustrating conditions. Many times I also have been snappy.
Again I applaud your repeated efforts to collect the facts about this subject for your readers despite the dribble of facts coming the sources. You refuse to let this story go away. I am very pleased about that.
Best-
Monique.
This whole sad affair has me considering making food from scratch for my furbabies.
Scratch that. I am no longer considering it, but leaving for the store after posting this to make whole foods for them. If I wouldn’t eat it, why would I serve it to my furbabies?
Ella Teague
My cat DIED of Iams canned food after suffering all weekend. He died on the morning of the 20th after $1000. at the ER failed to save his life. I was at the ER til 2:00 am with my 8 year old who had to miss school the next day. Though the ER vet mentioned the posibility after I discussed his wet food Iams diet, she came back from trying to get more info from the other vet w/ a generic “kidney failure is a comman illness in cats”. My cat was perfectly healthy before feeding him the tainted cans of Iams. The ER vets seemed as poorly informed about this recall as I was during that 1st weekend (we were as many on spring break-normally avid news followers we were trying to take a break from our usual routine). “They” 1st announced 10 had died–then 16–now 15…out of Millions of cans recalled and I was told by Iams employee (phone) that it did not matter how much was given 1 spoonful or 1 cup–that is how lethal it is. If only 15 have died among all the companies, why is it that I cannot get Iams to call back. When are we going to insist that our food suppliers (yes that includes our Pet Food Suppliers) put our health and safety first before their company’s and CEO’s bottom line. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this new source of wheat gluten (that was so heavily laced with rat poison that after processing it is lethal in minute doses) came from China…no doubt because labor and standards are not as high as the United States USED TO BE. Do we really need to wait for the deaths to be human before we objects to Corporate Giants need for extreme profit margins. You cannot pay me enough for our pain and our loss of our family member…especially knowing how I thought I was feeding him a healthy brand and knowing how he and many others (including the testing animals) suffered needlessly.
I am from AZ and my very good friend was feeding her two Shih-Tzu’s one of the brands on the recall list. One dog had been throwing up more often since Dec. and the other had become very sluggish and didn’t want to eat. She just took them to the Vets last week after finding out about the recall and both were found to have high enzyme counts that reflected kidney disfunction. She was told to bring them back on Monday and if the counts were not down, they would need to be hospitalized for 3 weeks and put on dialysis. If the kidney failure could not be stopped, she would lose both dogs. The result from last Monday is that her older male looks ok now, but the 1 year old female has not improved. My friend is now in the process of seeing if there is any chance she can save this dog. She has tried to get a hold of the people at Menu foods, and has not been able to get thru. However, Petsmart, has stepped in after contacting them and has offered to assist her with getting her vet bills submitted to Menu foods to be reimbursed. They expressed a very caring concern for her dogs and let us know they have the same fears for their own dogs. So, I truly think we have only touched on the animals that have been affected. Her Vet told her that even just a small taste of the poisoned dog food can be fatal. One note: the Vet told her that dogs are stoic and many times do not show any apparent signs until they are too sick to be saved. If you have been feeding your dogs/cats one of the recalled products, I would recommend at least a kidney function test.
My animals escaped this terrorist attack, but I’m so, so angry what this greedy businessman did to so many animals and their guardians. HE MUST SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. Untimately, the pet food industry has been unmasked and the food these companies sell to us is nothing but the creation of their public relations departments.
What other food products beside animal, does Menu Foods produce such as human food? I think the heads of that company should be made to pay for all vet costs to everyone who lost a pet or currently has an ill one due to their products.
Look, I know this might upset a lot of people, but folks, please ask yourself: How can you even trust anything a company says that TORTURES ANIMALS in order to ensure greater profits. They can just “can” all that talk about ensuring “the best” for your pets through these heinous means as it’s every bit as poisonous as the toxins in the pet-food they produce. Those aren’t “just some lab animals” out there being mutilated, traumatized and tortured to death. They are cats and dogs and mice and hamsters and God knows what else – JUST LIKE OUR FURBABIES: Cute, adorable, trusting animals whom we betray to their cruel deaths – and lives in which they wish every day that they were dead – just because we couldn’t be bothered to shop with our hearts in the right place. I for one could never ever trust a company that’s guilty of animal testing especially in this day and age, where even more accurate lab results can be obtained without it (albeit at a little more cost at times). I just don’t see how companies like that could really sincerely care about anything but their own profits – despite all the advertising gimmicks about loving animals they use. We should have seen this one coming.
Julie,
I am so so sorry about your loss. I will pray for you. I have lost three cats and still grieve over them. I can imagine how hurtful it is to lose them over something like this. I’m thinking about you.
Sandi
this wasn’t an accident. it was an action by individual(s) to deliberately harm animals. these people must be found and held accountable.each and every one of them.period.
My cat died from kidney failure on
March 11. He ate food from one of the
chicken and gravy varieties of Fine
Feline, and got sick, vomitted, and became very ill over a three day period. I heard about
the recall 5 days later. The brand of
food is on the recall list, but the
date on the bottom of the can is
December, and they are only listing
January and February as being recalled.
I find it hard to believe he was perfectly healthy until he ate that food. That is too much of a coincidence.
I reported it to the FDA, along with the
info from the can, which I still have.
I also have paperwork from the emergency
vet clinic which shows the cat had
kidney failure. We had to put the cat
to sleep because the numbers
(Creatine) were off the chart. I have yet of an increase in the number of deaths since the first few
days after the recall. I find it hard
to believe there were only deaths numbering in the teens. The lady from the FDA told me she expects it to be
1000 or more, from what she had been
hearing. Reimbursement for the
vet bills is not enough.How can they
say you can’t sue for pain and suffering
for an animal? If a person mistreats
an animal, it’s a crime. Anyone who has ever had a pet can tell you that losing one, especially for such a stupid reason, causes pain. How can they say
you have to prove it was
their food that did i? How many people
save their used pet food cans? I personally don’t purchase the exact same
food or brand all the time.
How can we be absolutely sure that only canned/pouched foods are affected?? Are we sure the poison didn`t spill onto the dried food categories?? I am being paranoid and for a good reason too!!
I read Avram’s blog.
I just can`t trust these people. Trading precious lives for money!! Phoeeyy!!
At least, some of the manufacturers have said that the reason the dry food is safe, is that they were produced at a different place, at least that is what they say…. However, I still feel that any company who didn’t come forth with knowing there was an issue, is not worth buying from. I don’t understand why the news media is not jumping on this potentially huge issue more!! We are talking about our KIDS!! My friend, who I mentioned before, may lose one or both of her dogs, is disabled. These dogs are one of the reasons she gets up every morning. This is not an automobile recall, this is the food our dogs/cats eat. So, we as parents, are feeling guilty that we have been feeding our pets/children poison!! But, we had no reason to know that we were doing so. I truly think that everyone out there, who has an animal and knows what we are all feeling, needs to write to their local newspapers, news companies, or anyone who will listen. I would just like to see more animals saved… for themselves and for their parents, who love them dearly!! We need to make this a more prominate issue!!
As of Monday March 26th WalMart in Fort Worth Texas still had “Special Kitty” & “Pet Pride”-cuts and gravey products on the shelves when I questioned a clerk they showed me a scan (hand held scanner) that did not show these to be in the recall -I do NOT believe this is safe -I will NOT feed my ferals my house cat or my two dogs any foods connected with Menu!they are in my opinion murderers
As of Monday March 26th WalMart in Fort Worth Texas still had “Special Kitty” & “Pet Pride”-cuts and gravey products on the shelves when I questioned a clerk they showed me a scan (hand held scanner) that did not show these to be in the recall -I do NOT believe this is safe -I will NOT feed my ferals my house cat or my two dogs any foods connected with Menu!they are in my opinion murderers
Judy Boone
FT. Worth
TX
I called walmart about the food, they gave me the numbers to look for, but they dont even match, I will not feed the food to my cats now, I have been giving them tune. Does anyone know what can food is safe and Im so scared to give them dry food now. Does anyone have any ideas, please lets us know. If anything happened to my cats I would just die. I think we should feed these people there cat food. What do u think???
I am a medical doctor, (not a vet!) who lives in Sydney Aistralia.
I am a cat lover who has had about 20 cats over the last 28 years,and am horrified to see this scandal unfold.
I asked myself, why does America need to import wheat glutem when it is one of the world’s biggest wheat producers?
The obvious reason is the bottom line and these companies trying to maximise profits at any cost.
I hope this company goes broke!
And I hope all you poor people whose animals have suffered and died are able to sue the pants off them.
I have a new little blue cat, Mimika, who I rescued from a shelter, and she will only eat proprietary dried food and some wet foods. She refuses to eat meat so I don’t know what I would do if I had to change her diet.
I have lost cats over the years to kidney failure,due to natural causes. They had the best vet care, but I know how they suffered.
I am still getting over the death of my 18 year old diabetic cat Porky ( a lovely silver tabby), more than a year ago year, and know what a hole it leaves in your heart when a pet fies.
I can only say how sad I feel about all the grief of these pet owners.
We must make companies more accountable, and also more has to be done to monitor their treatment(or mistreatment) of their ‘test animals’.
As a doctor and a consumer I am also very concerned that these contaminants could easily get into the human food chain. We have had recent fatal cases of E coli food poisoning here, due to pre-packed salads grown in Asia, and fertilsed with human faeces.
I will watch with interest further developments in this case.
Regards to all.
Anne.
My beloved 9yr old healthy 140lbs Rottweiller “Hercules” died on March 13/07. He was on the dry Iams weight management. I came home in late February and found him paralyzed and lethargic in my bed. He had stopped eating his kibble apx 1 week prior. However, he would eat human food. His belly was rock hard and he seemed to be in alot of discomfort. I rushed him to the vet -who had no clue what was wrong with him. The vet gave him a shot of steroids, did some blood tests and gave me a supply of steroid pills which gave him the strength to walk with assistance for about a week. I told the vet that I had thought he had a bad batch of food and I actually returned the dry food for a refund after showing the manager my vet bill. My boy hung on to dear life until March 14 until he collapsed on my back step…dead.
His belly was 2X the regular size and still rock hard. He also had extreme thirst & urination but no vomiting or diarrhea (however he was burping and gagging quite a bit) I am so guilt ridden with the fact that my poor dog was suffering and didnt have the words to tell me. According to my vet Herc still had many years to go & his illness was not age related. PEOPLE DO NOT FEED YOUR ANIMALS ANY DRY OR WET IAMS FOOD PRODUCTS!!!!!! Also I contacted Iams to inform them that it was the dry food that killed my dog and they said to fax my vet bill to them for an immediate reimbersment. My lawyer has advised against this. Somebody is going to pay. My young children have been so traumatized that they are sleeping with me every night & keep having nightmares from seeing their beloved family member drop dead before their eyes-while I cry hysterically trying to revive him. They wont even go downstairs at night alone because they’re “scared without Herc”. BTW I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jen@goddessfilmproductions.com
Looks like things are getting worse. Check out this web site: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/30/pet.food.recall.ap/index.html
They are now starting to say it is plastic in the food and it was shipped to a company that makes dry dog food, but, they will not say what kind.
Hi there -
I run a small, private cat rescue in southwestern Minnesota – for months now I have been trying to get Purina to take a look at THEIR “dry” cat foods, specifically those with any types of red dyes – such as Meow Mix. I sent a written complaint that most of my cats would vomit up the offending product and that I was concerned about what was causing this – they sent me a nice coupon for more food and an assurance that “there was nothing wrong with their cat food” and that it undergoes many safety tests.
Well here we are months later and if anyone donates a bag of the offending food it gets thrown out along with “bad press” comments about not feeding it to their own personal cats, only to have them recall that this also happens to their pets when fed the same products.
How funny that we should also be thinking about the possibility that the ingredients found in the recallled food are probably being added to our own “human” food. Who will take care of our pets when we’re dying of the same types of poisoning??
FYI – a local “chicken concentration camp” where they produce mass quantities of eggs, not only routinly “debeaks” the suffering hens, caged in tiny pens where they can’t even move, but also feeds them ARSENIC to rid them of mites and other pests – guess where that ends up folks – in your EGGS.
Consequently, my husnband and I have chosen to move as far off the commercial food chain/grid as FAR as possible and we produce most of our own food so WE can control what is put in it.
If you think it’s just our beloved pets who are on the front line – think again – you are standing right there next to them.
JLH
My 4 year old cat, Buster, had to be put down 3/27/07 after eating Nutro Max Cat Gourmet Classics Chicken and Rice in Gravy food packets. He began to go into decline shortly after eating the food, just prior to the recall, and soon became lethargic, couldn’t eat and was throwing up vile sewer smelling vomit. Last Tuesday, after two trips to the vet, the vet recommended that the humane thing to due was to put him down. He’d lost a pound and a half in two weeks, was running a fever and had all the indications of renal failure. While I know nothing will ever bring him back, I want to know what Menu Foods is going to do to make this right. I want them to admit that their negligence killed my sweet, loving cat that was a very valued member of my family. I’m forever boycotting Menu Foods and any company aligned with them. I will no longer use Polmolive nor Colgate products. And I am urging all other friends and pet lovers to do the same.
Does anyone have a home made recipe for cat food, I sure would love to have one, i think I’m going to try making my own food for my 2 boys. I would be happy if any one would share a recipe. Thanks
Today i recived an email from Purina animal food products,they are retirig voluntarily some of their animal food products because their suplier was the same as the Menu Foods.
What is goin on this is realy creepy .
There is a very good Web site called http://www.petconnection.com/ that is telling that as of today, they have had 2900 reports of dogs/cats that have died from this. There is a lot of good up-to-date info on it.
My Granddaughter’s cat died of kidney failure March 26, 2007. The only cat food that he ever ate was dry Meow Mix Hairball control formula. The Vet called a coincident. I don’t think so.
My cat has been in the vet hosp for almost two weeks suffering from kidney failure due to the recalled cat food. The vets want me to pay for this but being a single mother with two children and can barley afford to pay my regular bills. What am I supposed to do?? I might get to bring her home but she will have permanent kidney damage and have to be on special food. I love my pet and do whatever necessary to help her come home but I just can’t pay what I don’t have!!!
My vet gave me a list of numbers to check on the bottom of canned food. I can’t find it so need to ask again.
At any rate when I checked my pets both dog and cat food, sad and pissed to say, every single one of them fell into the contaminated lots. I’ll try to get the lots and post them.
Try Wellness foods or old mother hubbard
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com
its safe and good stuff, a bit more expensive, but I got started with it when one of my cats got a legit case of renal failure over a year ago, the vet recomended it because it is high in quality protiens, less work for the kidneys.
I would like to know how I can be sure that in future I do not buy any products from any of the companies who are to blame for this disaster.
My cat is on dry Meow Mix Hairball control formula, I read Jennies comment about her grandaughter’s cat (on the same food) dying. I’m very worried about my cat, she has not shown any signs of anything being wrong with her, but if anyone knows anything about this food please let me know. Thanks.
I recieved Menu Foods “damage claim”. What a joke! It starts out by saying that they will consider reimbursing my loss if I can prove that my pet died from eating the tainted food. To prove this I must have the sale’s receipt, the actual pouch that contained the food, all vet paperwork(original copies to be sent only), the vet must legally declare that the food caused the death with no doubt, and a load of other information (personal). I must send all this to them including the open food can or pouch (which by the way will get stopped by the USPS at the border)at my cost and it is my responsibility to make sure it arrives and is accepted and that a person actually recieves it. It is a joke, sadly I dont think any one will get anything from this company, either from them or from a lawsuit. They will use the fact that they are not an American company and not located in the USA, and can not be held liable for pets lost in USA. Also they have deep pockets (legal and lobbists) that will enable them to drag this out till its forgotten. So with that said I feel that they will get away with what they did just as they knew they would in the first place. Thier advisors were correct most large companies can get away with almost anything.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! tewbfwrjcqgavt
My shtzu died after the vet said he needed more protein he was 20 had him since birth. We have 4 dogs one cat are rescues. They were on Wellness dry and canned chicken and green beans and carrots. We got the older dog on Nutro canned and he was dead in one week. Throwing up etc. I slept with hime on the Sunday nite he died so painful. Took him to the vet in a blanket and he died Monday. My cat licked some of the juice of his food and threw up all over. She recovered , but has had kidney problems since. It is Dec. 07 and I just ck’d my neigbots dogfood and all of his treats and food were poison.. He was ll yrs and had Kidney problems the last three. He gave me the bage to donate and I ck’d 5 items out and all bad. Authority, Walthams urinary so and science diet and meow mix for the cat. Also the treats two half bags. No wonder the poor dog died. I used to take care of him as a young dog. He could have lived longer. My mom said dogs on the farm would live to be 15-25 years old and they were feed what they ate. Figures. Shirley Pedersen.