Pet owners across the country are carefully watching their pets and checking their pet food supply after more than 60 million cans of tainted pet food have been recalled.

The recall was prompted by the deaths of nearly a dozen animals. According to reports, at least nine cats and one dog died and many other pets are said to be suffering from kidney failure.

Some 50 brands of dog food are affected and 40 for cats. There are many flavors and different styles of packaging affected, both cans and pouches. Two of the leaders in pet foods, Iams and Eukanuba, are both affected. They have code dates 6339 through 7073 followed by a plant code of 4197. People with the recalled products are asked to stop using it immediately.

Primarily affected are 13.2-ounce cans of beef cuts and gravy dog food and 3-ounce cans of turkey and gravy cat food.

Menu Foods said that products not identified on the website can continue to be used.

The recall has been made by the Canadian company, Menu Foods which sells dog and cat food under dozens of different brand names including Wegman's, Science Diet and Iams.

For a list of recalled pet food brands visit http://www.menufoods.com/recall/.

For a list of recalled dog food, http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html.

For a list of recalled cat food, http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html.

Veterinarians says that pet owners should watch their pets for such symptoms as increased water intake, increased volumes of urination, unwillingness to eat, vomiting and lethargy. If they see any of those signs in their pet, they should take their pet to their vet as soon as possible.

Kidney failure can come on quickly or take a long period of time. Although Menu Foods has set up two hotlines, with the volume of calls, it is nearly impossible to get a response. Pet owners should visit the above listed websites to see learn about what brands are affected and other information pertaining to the recall.

The pet food affected was manufactured between Dec. 3 2006 and March 6, 2007.

The recall is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of Menu Food Income Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.

Over the past several days, the Fund has received feedback in the United States (none in Canada) raising concerns about pet food manufactured since early December, and its impact on the renal health of the pets consuming the products. Shortly after receipt of the first complaint, the Fund initiated a substantial battery of technical tests, conducted by both internal and external specialists, but has failed to identify any issues with the products in question. The Fund has, however, discovered that timing of the production associated with these complaints, coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. The Fund stopped using this ingredient shortly after this discovery and production since then has been undertaken using ingredients from another source.

At the same time, the Fund's largest customer, for which it manufactures on a contract basis, received a small number of consumer complaints and has initiated its own recall. Furthermore, for the time being, the customer has put future orders for cuts and gravy products on hold. This customer's cuts and gravy purchases in 2006 represented approximately 11% of the Fund's annual revenue.

"We take these complaints very seriously and, while we are still looking for a specific cause, we are acting to err on the side of caution" said Paul K. Henderson, president and CEO, Menu Foods. "We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our products maintain the very highest quality standards."

While the number of complaints has been relatively small, Menu is taking this proactive step out of an abundance of caution, because the health and well-being of pets is paramount to the Fund.

In addition to changing suppliers for production after March 6, the Fund has increased testing of all raw materials and finished goods. It is also working closely with regulatory authorities and its customers to learn more and will take whatever additional actions are appropriate. The Fund estimates that based on currently available information, this recall could cost between $30 million and $40 million, which will be financed from a combination of internally generated cash flow and bank credit facilities.

Furthermore, the Fund is aggressively producing product, utilizing a different supplier for the ingredient in question, to replenish customers as quickly as possible.

Menu is the leading North American private-label/contract manufacturer of wet pet food products sold by supermarket retailers, mass merchandisers, pet specialty retailers and other retail and wholesale outlets. In 2006, the Fund produced more than one billion containers of pet food. 3-18-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette