Are Seniors At Risk Over Pet Poisioning?

As medical costs continue to escalate, and senior budgets remain fixed, we must revisit the issue of how seniors eat. This is doubly important with the recent news of many cats and dogs dying from eating poisoned pet food. Many of us cannot increase the amount of money we spend, so we look at how to stretch our budget. There has been talk of seniors eating pet food to save money. All of us need to talk and visit any senors we know who may think of eating this in their diet. They'll sure as heck find themselves in the hospital with kidney failure if they choose to eat any of the products recently produced by Menu Foods....see below!

From the "Houston Chronicle" an article states Aminopterin being identified Friday as the likely culprit in a poisoning scare that prompted the recall of 95 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food. Scientists had no theories on how Aminopterin got into the products of Menu Foods, which makes pet food for most of North America's top retailers.

Some pets that ate the food suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of at least 15 cats and one dog.

Menu Foods expanded its recall Friday to cover each of the tens of millions of cans and pouches produced under the affected brands. The original recall covered only pet food produced from Dec. 3 to March 6.

Aminopterin has been used to induce abortions, treat cancer and kill rats. What it was doing in pet food is what owners of a rising number of sick or dead animals are demanding to know.

Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by the manufacturer and found Aminopterin in two of them.

Effects of Aminopterin

Aminopterin inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, the amount of Aminopterin found — 40 parts per million — can cause kidney failure, according to Bruce Akey, director of Cornell's diagnostic center.

"It's there in substantial amounts," Akey said.

Officials said there is no risk to pet owners from handling the food, but Donald Smith, dean of Cornell's veterinary school, said he expected the number of pet deaths would increase.

The federal government prohibits using Aminopterin for killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said no criminal investigations had been launched.

Stephen Sundlof, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's top veterinarian, said the agency hasn't ruled out sabotage, but doesn't have any leads — nor any theories how the drug could have contaminated the pet food.

Focus on wheat gluten

The FDA thinks the drug was used only in animal feed but has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to watch for any uptick in human cases of poisoning.

"This is very, very precautionary. We have no reason whatsoever to believe this chemical has entered the human food supply," Sundlof told reporters.

The FDA has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food, and Sundlof said it remains the suspected source of the contamination.

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, confirmed Friday that the wheat gluten was purchased from China.

Menu Foods, already facing lawsuits, said Friday that it is testing all the ingredients that go into the food.

"We have a lot of work to do, and we are eager to get back to it," Henderson said. "This is a highly unusual substance."

He said the company does not think the food was tampered with because the recalled food came from two different plants, one in Kansas and one in New Jersey.

Menu continues to produce food at the two plants.

Compensation possible

When asked whether there would be compensation for medical bills for sick pets, Henderson said "to the extent that we identify that the cause of any expenses incurred are related to the food, Menu will take responsibility for that."

Robin Godfrey of Weston, W.Va., said that was good news. She said her family can't afford the $800 veterinary care for their two mixed-breed dogs and six puppies who fell sick after eating one of the recalled brands.

"If they should die, part of me would die with them," Godfrey said.

Kerner said he was contacting an attorney, mostly in the interest of preventing another pet tragedy. He was repeatedly reminded of his loss because of an Associated Press photo of Pebbles in a clinic, taken a day before she died.

"Although my family loves me, no one ever loved me like that dog," Kerner, 48, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., said tearfully over the phone. "Every Web site I go to, I see my dog. She was so cute."