MSU survey determines that more than 300 pets may have died from contaminated pet food

[Robbien]

Source: News release from Michigan State U

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A survey, commissioned by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and designed and implemented by Michigan State University toxicologists, has found that more than 300 dogs and cats may have died earlier this year as a result of eating contaminated pet food.

. . .


“Separately, those two compounds are pretty harmless,” said Wilson Rumbeiha, an associate professor in MSU’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. “But when combined, they form crystals which can block the kidneys.

“And, unfortunately, these crystals don’t dissolve easily. They go away slowly, if at all, so there is the potential for chronic toxicity.”

It was earlier this year that Rumbeiha and colleagues designed a questionnaire to determine how many animals had become ill or died from eating bad food. The contamination led to a massive recall of tainted pet food.

Collecting data from veterinarians, veterinary technicians and pathologists from April 5 through June 6, Rumbeiha found that 347 cases met the criteria for what he called “pet food-induced nephrotoxicity.” The cases involved 235 cats and 112 dogs.

“Two-thirds of the animals affected were cats, but proportionally, more dogs died from it than cats,” Rumbeiha said.

He theorized that more cats got sick than dogs because of their smaller size. He also found that smaller-breed dogs were more susceptible.

Among some other findings:

* Nearly 98 percent of the 347 cases reported were in the United States, with the other 2 percent from Canada.

* In the United States, Texas recorded the most cases, followed by Illinois and Michigan.

* An equal number of male and female animals were affected.

* The average age of an affected animal was 8 years. The ages ranged from two months to 18 years.

* About 25 percent of the affected animals had a pre-existing condition that made them more susceptible. Most of the conditions were kidney or cardiovascular disease.

Read more: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3263/content.htm

[Liberty Belle]

1. A friend got a recall notice from Costco on dogfood-right after his dog was put down from kidney

failure due to the contaminated food.

This could easily have been human deaths, since the contaminated ingredients from China were designated human food grade.

We must start demanding of all our candidates that they push for stronger consumer protections.

[shain from kane]

2. "human food grade?" Which reminds me of the man that was at Walmart with his cart

full of bags of dogfood. The woman standing behind him asked whether he had a dog. It struck him as a stupid question, so he told her he was on a dogfood diet. The last time that he was on a dogfood diet he lost 30 pounds and ended up in the hospital. In the hospital? Yes, he stepped off the curb to smell an English setter's butt, and got hit by a bus.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. Tainted pet food killed 200 dogs and cats: study

Source: Reuters

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials received thousands of complaints earlier this year about pets killed by contaminated pet food, but veterinarians said on Thursday they had been able to confirm just 224 deaths.

A major recall was begun last March after ingredients imported from China were found to have contaminated some pet food. Canadian manufacturer Menu Foods Income Fund was hardest hit, recalling 60 million packages of pet food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it received 17,000 complaints of related pet deaths, although it had confirmed just 16.

A survey posted on the Internet, and widely publicized by the American Veterinary Medical Association, attracted just 500 responses and of those, only 348 cases of pet sickness met the criteria for kidney failure caused by the contamination, the team at Michigan State University found.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2922695820071129?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

[anitar1]

4. I do not believe this and never will. Total BS.

The numbers in this area alone do not support these statements in any way. Lying to protect corporations.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. You're not going to be alone

My gut reaction is also that it's not true.

[arikara]

5. One of our friends lost their cat

because of the tainted food. And I know a vegetarian whose family became really ill, she's sure from the prepared vegetarian foods. The main ingredient in much of that is wheat gluten.

They never even investigated or acknowleged people getting sick.

[michreject]

7. Not for a second do I believe this...nt

[niyad]

8. BS BS BS BS

I remember kestrel (one of our resident vets) telling us that vets were working around the clock all over the country then, and that many animals were dying.

I was just so profoundly grateful that my own cats only like a couple of foods, none of which, thankfully, were on the recall list.

[candice]

9. Arsenic is added to chicken feed in the old U.S. of A.

...and it affects humans, pollutes the water (chicken feces from factory farming), and pets who consume it, especially compromising the kidneys. We don't even need to import melamine and lead from China with our factory farms!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/arsenic060405.cfm

Arsenic in chicken meat appears closely linked to the decades-old practice
of intentionally and routinely putting arsenic into chicken feed. At least
70 percent of U.S. broiler chickens have been fed arsenic, according to
estimates.
"Adding arsenic to chicken feed is a needless and ultimately avoidable
practice that only exposes more people to more of this ancient poison," said
Dr. David Wallinga, a physician, author of Playing Chicken: Avoiding Arsenic
in Your Meat, and director of IATP¹s Food and Health program.

[magellan]

10. Well, that's just lovely

First I've heard of arsenic in chicken. I've been homemaking chicken & rice for our two dogs since the recall. I buy organic whenever I can, but it's usually not available: it's so expensive supermarkets don't find it cost-effective to keep on hand because hardly anyone buys it.

I am flat out of ideas now. Unless turkey is any good. Do you know if turkey feed also contains arsenic?

And what the hell are they putting arsenic in feed for anyway?

JHC, this country isn't even for the birds now!!