Iams Prescription Renal Diet Cat Food Recalled

Recall — Firm Press Release

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P&G Recalls Two Lots of Prescription Renal Diet Cat Food due to a Possible Health Risk

Contact:
P&G Consumer Relations - 877-894-4458

Media Contact:
Jason Taylor 513-622-3205

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — CINCINNATI, July 25, 2010 - The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE:PG), is voluntarily recalling two specific lots of its prescription renal dry cat food as a precautionary measure, as it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.

The following products are included:

Product Name	Lot Code	UPC Code
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B4	0 19014 21405 1
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B2	0 19014 21405 1

This product is available by prescription through veterinary clinics throughout the U.S.

No illnesses have been reported.  A FDA analysis identified a positive result on the lot codes listed above.  Lot codes can be found in the lower right corner on the back of the bag.

Consumers who have purchased dry cat food with these codes should discard it.  People handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product.  Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.  If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting.  Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

For further information or a product refund call P&G toll-free at 877-894-4458 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST).

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A San Antonio Duck Story

A Duck Story from the Riverwalk in San  Antonio

Michael R. is an  accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a  second story office.  Several weeks ago, he  watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning  outside his window as the unlikely place to build a  nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in  a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched  over 10 feet in the air. She   dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday  afternoon all of her ten ducklings  hatched.

Michael worried  all night how the momma duck was going to get those  babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown,  urban environment to take to water, which typically  happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.  Tuesday  morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her  babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to  show them how to jump off.  Office work came to a  standstill as everyone gathered to  watch.

The mother flew  down below and started quacking to her babies above.  In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy  newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and  astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the  cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this  risky effort nine more times!  He dashed out of  his office and ran down the stairs to the  sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its  mother, was resting in a stupor after  the near-fatal fall.  Michael stood out of sight  under the awning-planter, ready to  help.

As the second  one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught  it with his bare hands before it hit the  concrete. Safe and sound, he set it down it  by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still  recovering from that painful leap.  (The  momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to  help her  babies.)

One by one the  babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under  the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as  the duckling made its free fall.  At the scene  the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a  standstill.  Time after time, Michael was able to  catch the remaining eight and set them by their  approving  mother.

At this point  Michael realized the duck family had only made part of  its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks  to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs  and past pedestrians to get to the closest open  water, the San Antonio   River, site of the  famed “River Walk.”  The onlooking office  secretaries and several San  Antonio police officers joined  in.  An empty copy-paper box was  brought to collect the babies. They carefully  corralled them, with the mother’s approval, and loaded  them in the container. Michael held the box low enough  for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated  through the downtown streets toward the    San  Antonio River . The mother  waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the  way.

As they reached  the river, the mother took over and passed him,  jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the  water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped  shepherd the babies toward the water and to  the waiting mother after their adventurous  ride.

All ten darling  ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up  snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles,  looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and  proudly  quacking.

At last,  all present and accounted for: “We’re all together  again.  We’re here!  We’re  here!”

And here’s  a family portrait before they head outward to  further  adventures…

Like all of us  in the big times of our life, they never could have  made it alone without lots of helping hands.  I  think it gives the name of San  Antonio ’s famous “River Walk” a whole  new meaning!  Maybe you will want to share this  story with others.

Thanks to Kayla for passing this wonderful story on to me!

A Recent Slew of Pet Food Recalls

Pet food recalls are reaching another all-time high.

Many pet parents are now wondering how to cope with the possibility that they might be feeding Fido or Boots contaminated food. Even premium pet food companies like the Amarillo, Texas based Merrick Pet Care are experiencing problems from that pesky bacteria known as Salmonella. In a July 6, 2010 notification from the FDA’s Vet Tech Institute division an alert was emailed out about Merrick Pet Care’s recall of Beef Filet Squares treats for dogs in the 10 oz. bag (item #60016, Lot # 10084TL7) with a Best By March 21, 2012 expiration date. The recall involves 86 cases of possibly contaminated dog treats. In another instance, the United Pet Group of Cincinnati, Ohio voluntarily expanded its recall of nutritional supplements for dogs and cats due to the same possible Salmonella health risk. If that weren’t enough, Feline’s Pride of Buffalo, New York has issued a voluntary recall of its Natural Chicken Formula Raw Food for cats and kittens.

What exactly is the problem with the pet food industry? And why has Salmonella become so prevalent in pet food?

For the answer let’s look at the source of Salmonella. This hardy (dare I say, indestructible?) bacteria lives in the intestines of animals. Most animal feed contains parts of slaughtered animals and these parts include intestines. As a matter of fact, the AAFCO does not even require that an animal is slaughtered in the traditional way to become part of your pet’s food. The process known as rendering allows for any animal parts, regardless of the type of animal, to enter your pet’s food chain. In the AAFCO’s Q & A regarding pet food regulations the reply to question 4 is, “Animal by-products which may include materials from animals which died by means other than slaughter are explicitly defined as adulterated unless* the materials are rendered in compliance with animal health and protein product regulations to destroy any potential microorganisms which may be in the products. The processes used are deemed to be adequate to control risk of disease.”

What’s wrong with by-products?

The term “animal by-products” sounds benign doesn’t it? However, the definition of by-products is rendered meat. This consists of animal carcasses and intestines, it also contains other ingredients such as fat derived from other more non-traditional animal parts — yes, gulp! even euthanized animals from laboratories — that are then cooked together at a high temperature. This rendering process is the first step to producing the by-product meal found in your pet’s food. This process also creates the fat added to your pet’s food. Keep in mind that both the by-product meal and the rendered fat include multiple body parts and intestines. Despite the AAFCO’s claim that rendering is an adequate method to control the risk of disease heat will not kill all strains of Salmonella bacteria.

What role does the Association of American Feed Control Officials play in pet food manufacturing?

Another interesting fact is the AAFCO’s checklist entitled Best Management Guidance Document for Manufacturing, Packaging and Distributing Animal Feeds and Feed Ingredients (download a copy of this by clicking on this link AAFCO Checklist for Best Mangement Practices). In paragraph 3 number (a) and (b), the AAFCO checklist includes appropriate clean-out procedures such as sequencing, flushing, or physically cleaning to prevent cross-contamination that may endanger animal or human health. In other words, the AAFCO recommends that before a new batch of pet food is processed all equipment be shut down and thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected before a new batch is initiated. This is a costly and time consuming procedure for manufacturers. There are no enforcing agents on the premises, so is it possible that some manufacturers are skipping this important step?

Does Salmonella affect the United States Economically?

Salmonella is not going away anytime soon, its rise will escalate as demand for manufactured and processed food grows. This bacteria’s impact on industrial countries is reaching an astronomical high. According to the World Health Organization the economic cost of food-born Salmonella in the United States hit $3 billion annually in 2001. Additionally, in Denmark the annual estimated cost of Salmonella was $15.5 million in 2001. Denmark took action and instituted a Salmonella control program that costs about $14.1 million annually but its government estimates that this saves the Danes approximately $25.5 million annually in public expenditure. Yet, there is no similar program in the United States and I suspect this is because it would be too costly to enforce.

The bottom line is that consumers need to be aware of the risks when purchasing commercially prepared pet food.

High dollar brand names will not necessarily protect your pet. But there are methods that you can take to dilute the risk. If you are feeding your pet kibble, purchase a high quality brand name, one that does not include meat by-product meal (which is a generic term for saying the meat source is unknown). Instead be certain that the first ingredient on the ingredient list is a named animal protein and not a by-product. Avoid kibble that contains grains (even rice). Next, purchase at least three bags of high-quality kibble from different manufacturers and mix these together. If you feed your pet canned food along with kibble be certain to follow the same process, alternating between brands. By doing this you are ensuring that if a product is contaminated your pet will not receive a high dosage of contamination.

Is there a method to guarantee a pet receives uncontaminated food?

There is only one certain method to guarantee that your pet eats healthy, untainted food and that is by making it yourself. My grandmother and mother were right, they never purchased commercial pet food products. All our dogs ate human-grade meat and veggies and grandmother made these nightly for Puk, one of our family’s many Springer Spaniels. My mother followed in those footsteps and Duke, our poodle, received a homemade meal every night, right along with us. I am the third generation and after owning several herding dogs who were all fed commercial pet food I have finally seen the light. My three multi-mix dogs receive a homemade meal every day, consisting of human-grade raw meats and organic vegetables. They are thriving, beautiful and happy.

* Emphasis by author and not part of the original text

About the author:

Gyvel Young is a journalist with several published books and articles to her credit. Her passion is canine nutrition and animal behavior.

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