Veterinarian Uses Drug to Treat Dogs Sick From Tainted Food

[magellan]

Source: WFTV.com Orlando

Longwood, Fla. -- A Longwood veterinarian has been successful with a treatment to counteract the poison that some believe is making pets sick.

snip...

The New York state food lab claims aminopterin is the contaminant that’s making animals sick.

snip...

Jenner’s brother is a research scientist, and knew aminopterin’s history. He told Tara about another drug, Leucovorin, which was used in the U.S. when aminopterin was used as a cancer drug, to counter-act the negative effects of it.

snip...

After two days of the Leucovorin treatment, Holly's kidneys were back to normal.

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/11459819/detail.html

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The article says Leucovorin is a potential treatment for dogs sickened by aminopterin-contaminated food, but is probably too strong a drug for cats to handle.

Also, props to Kestrel for reporting on Leucovorin's possible benefits back on March 23: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2778351#2778625

[barb162]

1. kick!

I am glad to see something is working

[Duer 157099]

2. How very odd... since now they are reporting that it's melamine

and not aminopterin

It's all so confusing

(placebo effect in dogs? who knew they could read?)

[IndyOp]

4. I am wondering whether it might not be different substances in different batches of wheat -

I think, I hope, that the lesson from this is that we MUST demand testing of EVERY batch of grain that goes into animal and people food. The "batches" must come in ton quantities, so I am not saying that we need to test each pound, but that food companies must, by law, do additional testing for contaminants that are known to occur. I read that testing for aminopterin is available and that this sort of contamination has occurred before. I don't know about the melamine.

I hope that international law allows us to go after any company that knowingly provided ("dumped") contaminated grain to the pet food companies.

My other thought is that if melamine and aminopterin have similar effects on the kidneys, maybe the leucoverin can help in either case.

[truthisfreedom]

3. KICK!