60 million cans of pet food recalled

Click here for a list of cat foods recalled (click on the brand for more information).
Click here for a list of dog foods recalled (click on the brand for more information).

Click here to go to the FDA website for more news on the pet food recall.

Click here to access the FAQ page for the menu foods recall located at the American Veterinary Medical Association web site.


Latest Update - June 12, 2007:  Rumors have been surfacing about acetaminophen (tylenol) being found in certain brands of dog and cat food. So far, the FDA has not posted any information on their website. No claims have been substantiated at this time. Click here to read the ASPCA's press release concerning the topic and the the clinical signs associated with acetaminophen toxicity.

May 11, 2007:  Royal Canin USA announced the voluntary nationwide recall of eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products.  This announcement was based on the company's ongoing extensive review of its manufacturing and quality assurance testing procedures which identified trace amounts of a melamine derivative from tainted Chinese rice protein concentrate provided to the company by domestic ingredient supplier Cereal Byproducts, headquartered in Illinois. For specific information and a list of products, see the company's website at http://www.royalcanin.us.

On April 26, 2007:  Chenango Valley Pet Foods is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and voluntarily recalling pet foods manufactured with a certain shipment of rice protein concentrate contaminated with melamine. The following food have been recalled: Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food, Net Wt. 5 lbs, 12.5 lbs, and 25 lbs; Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Cat Food, Net wt. 3 lbs and 7 lbs.;  Lick your Chops Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg Cat food, 4 lbs, Bulk Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food sold to one consignee (SmartPak) in a 2000 lbs. tote. For more information go here: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/chenango04_07.html.

On April 20, 2007: On Friday, April 20, SmartPak initiated a voluntary recall of a single production run of the LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food. The particular lot of food recalled included rice protein concentrate that was supplied by Wilbur-Ellis. All consumers who purchased the produce should have been notified via e-mail or phone. Check the company's website for more information: http://www.smartpakcanine.com/PetFoodRecalls.aspx

On April 20, 2007 : Royal Canin recalls 8 diets (5 regular diets and 3 prescription diets). Products recalled include Chicken Meal and Rice Formula Senior Dry Dog Food, Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Puppy Dry Dog Food, Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Senior Dry Dog Food, Rice and Catfish Meal Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, Canine Early Cardiac EC 22, Canine Skin Support SS21, and Feline Hypoallergenic HP23. See website for more information : http://www.royalcanin.us

On April 19, 2007: Blue Buffalo Company recalled Spa Select Kitten Dry Food stating the rice protein concentrate was identified as the problem source. See website for more information:  http://www.bluebuff.com.

On April 18, 2007: Natural Life Vegetarian 13.2 ounce cans recalled.

The importer of the rice protein concentrate from China, Wilbur-Ellis, issued a recall on April 18 of all rice protein concentrate shipments. The manufacturers that had received shipments were notified. As a result of this recall, the Blue Buffalo Company issued a voluntary recall of certain products on April 19, and Royal Canin US issued a voluntary recall of certain products on April 20.

On April 17, 2007: Natural Balance voluntarily recalled all Venison dog food products (canned and dry, regardless of production date) and dry venison cat food after identifying melamine in the foods. It is believed that the source of the melamine was a rice protein concentrate imported from China.  The recall was issued after consumer complaints of animals developing kidney failure after eating the food. Recalled foods include: Venison and Brown Rice Dry Dog Formula, Venison and Brown Rice Canned Dog Food, Venison and Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats, Vension and Green Pea Dry Cat Formula. More information can be found at http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/press_release.html.

All dog and cat dry food products manufactured under the Vets Choice and Royal Canin brands in South Africa have also been recalled.

On April 13, 2007: Royal Canin Canada is recalling  Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned diet because one production lot (January 08 2009) contains contaminated wheat gluten.  More information at : http://www.medi-cal.ca/Default_EN.asp.

On April 10, 2007 : Nutro expands their list of recalled products. Menu Foods has stated that some of the Chinese wheat gluten was utilized in additional products, including many of Nutro's 3 oz. cat cans. The 3 oz. cans that contain wheat gluten have been added to the recall list regardless of date code. See list at : http://www.nutroproducts.com/mfproductlist.asp

On April 5, 2007: ChemNutra Inc, the company that supplied wheat gluten to Menu foods, recalled all wheat gluten imported from Wangdien, China. Menu Foods voluntarily expanded its pet food recall to include all products manufactured with wheat gluten purchased from ChemNutra Inc. which was first used on November 8, 2006 and last used on March 6, 2007.

Another company, Sunshine Mills Inc., voluntarily recalled some of the dog biscuits made at its plant in Red Bay, Alabama. The biscuits recalled include; Nurture Chicken & Rice, Nurture Lamb & Rice, Pet Life Large, Pet Life Extra Large, Pet Life Large Variety, Pet Life Large Peanut Butter, Lassie Lamb and Rice, and Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats. These treats include some of the Ol'Roy biscuits (see sunshine mills website for specifics).  A complete list of affected biscuit brands, sizes, and codes is available at their website sunshinemills.com. Sunshine's other biscuit brands and products that include small and medium sized biscuits were not affected

On March 31, 2007 - Two more companies have voluntarily recalled additional products after learning that the wheat gluten supplied to these companies contained melamine, a substance not approved for use in food.  The wheat gluten was provided to these companies by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods.

Del Monte recalled Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, and Pounce Meaty Morsels
Purina recalled Alpo Brand Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food.

On March 30 2007 - The recall expanded today to include the first dry food.  Hill's Pet Nutrition voluntarily recalled Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food. This recall does not include Prescription Diet m/d Feline canned food which contains no wheat gluten.  During a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods.  U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of a chemical called melamine.

Melamine is a chemical that was used to make plastic materials and is used as a fertilizer (not used in the US or Canada). It has been found in the affected foods and the wheat gluten that was used to make the affected foods. However, it appears to be minimally toxic (only in high doses) and its role in the pet deaths is still unclear.

Both aminopterin and melamine have been found in the affected foods. Aminopterin was suggested to be the cause of the deaths of affected animals but this has not been confirmed nor ruled out at this time.  There is no reason that melamine should be in the foods but it is reported to have low toxicity so it may still not be the toxic agent (it may be more reliable as a marker of the affected foods).

On March 23, 2007, an announcement was made that aminopterin (a rodenticide) was highly suspected as the contaminant in the recalled pet foods produced by Menu Foods. This chemical was originally used as an antineoplastic (cancer) agent in the late 1940s and is now mainly used as a rodenticide in some countries. Its use is illegal in the United States.  In high doses, aminopterin can cause acute kidney failure, crystals in the urine, and bone marrow suppression.  It is still unknown how the chemical got into the pet food.

On March 17, 2007, Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of dog and cat foods in North America, announced a recall of 60 million containers of canned food or food in pouches sold between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. Menu Foods manufactures pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. Kroger, Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Petsmart store brands are involved in the recall. Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, and some Purina brands are participating in a voluntary recall as well.

There have been a number of reported cases of cats and dogs from the US becoming sick and developing signs of kidney failure. The signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, excessive drinking and urination, vomiting, and lethargy. Approximately 16 deaths, two dogs and fourteen cats, have been confirmed at this time

If your animal has been eating one of the recalled foods we recommend that you have your pet screened for kidney problems. This requires a blood and urine sample. Have your pet checked if your pet is showing any of the following symptoms: lethargy, drinking excessively, urinating excessively, vomiting, or not eating.  You should screen your pet even if your pet is not currently showing symptoms and has been eating a food on the recall list.

See www.menufoods.com/recall for more information as well as a specific list of dog and cat foods recalled (with production dates). Again, only canned foods have been recalled.  See information below as Hill's Science Diet and Purina Mighty Dog Pouches are part of the voluntary recall and may not be on the menufoods list.

Click here for a list of cat foods recalled (click on the brand for more information).

Click here for a list of dog foods recalled (click on the brand for more information).

Owners of pets affected by the recalled pet foods who wish to report the incident should contact the FDA. Go to the FDA Web site at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html and find the FDA complaint coordinator in your state.

Pet food Recall Hotline Recall Information 1-866-895-2708

Information concerning Science diet recalled can food can be found here and dry m/d diet is found here.

Information concerning Iams and Eukanuba cat and dog foods recalled can be found here.

General information concerning the recall and Iams can be found here.

General information concerning the recall and Eukanuba can be found here.

Purina Mighty Dog 5.3 ounce pouch products are being withdrawn by Nestl