PET FOOD RECALL
Worried Animal Owners Have Vet Clinics' Phones Jumping
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 19, 2007; Page B05
Jennifer Caron's cats, Tux and Edo, never get sick. So when she found diarrhea in front of the litter box Saturday, she was understandably concerned. Then she heard about the recall of 48 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food by Menu Foods of Ontario and immediately did some research to see if her cats' canned food, Iams, was on the list.
It was. She called the company and was advised to take both cats to the vet because there was no way to know which one was exhibiting one of the symptoms of kidney problems. Caron, of Germantown, took them to the Metropolitan Emergency Animal Clinic in Rockville. Tux's enzyme levels were elevated, and he was admitted for treatment and observation. Edo was fine.
Carol Foster, a veterinarian at the clinic who was treating the 14-year-old Tux yesterday, said many dog and cat owners called the clinic Saturday as news of the recall spread. "We had lots and lots of phone calls, a lot of panicked pet owners," Foster said.
Other emergency clinics in the Washington area also reported several phone calls from dog and cat owners who wanted to know the symptoms of kidney failure, but workers at the clinics said that very few, if any, pets were brought in for treatment. The symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking of water and urinating more often than usual.
Paul Henderson, president and chief executive of Menu Foods, told the Associated Press that his company recalled the pet food after an undisclosed number of complaints from people who said their dogs or cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating Menu products. About 10 animals died, the company said.
The recall is for "cuts and gravy"-style food sold in cans and foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6. More information on the recall is on the company's Web site, http:/
Across the region and the country, pet owners were checking their cupboards to see if their supply of food matched the scores of brands on the recall list.
Madeline Fanning, who works at Pawticulars in Washington, said the store had received just one phone call from a customer looking for information on the affected pet food. "We stock Nutro, one of the brands that was recalled, but we didn't have that many cans in stock, maybe a couple cans of cat food and about 10 cans of dog food," she said.
Caron was hoping to have Tux back home last night. She said she had never cried so much in her life. As for what Tux and Edo are going to be eating from now on, it won't be store-bought food.
She said she was beyond angry. "I spend extra money to make sure they have the absolute best food. I don't know what to give them. At least if I cook something for them, I know it is safe."
