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IMPORTANT NOTICES REGARDING PET FOOD RECALLS
We DO NOT carry Dog or Cat food that contains any of the following ingredients:
wheat, wheat gluten, corn, corn-gluten, rice protein concentrates, by-products or animal digest.

Attention all pet owners seeking an alternative to Medi-Cal/Royal Canin/Hill's/Prescription diets to resolve urinary tract/kidney/struvite crystal issues...click here for info

 HOW TO RATE YOUR PET FOOD

     THE TRUTH ABOUT PET FOOD

WHY FEED GRAIN-FREE

We are making every attempt to keep our readers up to date on recalls as we become aware of them.
The wonderful team at www.itchmo.com  is working closely with other groups to stay right on top of current recalls.
We strongly recommend that you
sign up for recall alerts for the most up-to-date information.
 


Sept 21, 2007 PetSmart pulled various Smokehouse brand chicken and duck dog treats from their shelves as a precautionary measure. The company pulled these treats in response to American Veterinary Medical Association's warning about various treat products from China due to complaints from pet owners about ill dogs.

PetSmart has also pulled Pet n' Shape Chik n' Rings dog treats from their shelves as a precaution. When we spoke to PetSmart last week, there was no word about a Pet n' Shape treat being pulled off shelves last week.

Story continues at:
http://www.itchmo.com/petsmart-pulls-pet-n-shape-chik-n-rings-dog-treats-from-shelves-3002
 

Sept 19, 2007 Bravo! has announced a recall of certain varieties of its poultry products for pets. Here is the press release dated September 18 that is on their website:

Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Sept 17, 2007
Expertox, a Texas lab, has found elevated levels of lead, chromium, and cadmium in two Chinese-made pet toys sold at Wal-Mart. But two veterinarians said the levels found by the lab are not a health risk to cats and dogs.

The lab was hired by ConsumerAffairs.com to test two dog toys and two cat toys for heavy metals and other toxins.

A dog chew toy, a green monster, tested positive for what the lab categorizes as high levels of lead and chromium. The lab detected lead levels of 907.4 micrograms per kilogram (almost one part per million). Chromium was found at levels of 334.9 micrograms per kilogram. Levels of cadmium, arsenic and mercury were also found in the green monster toy.

The lab said with that kind of concentration, if a dog puts the toy in his mouth and chews or licks it, he is being exposed to a good amount of lead and runs the risk of metal toxicity that may shorten his life.

Expertox said a cloth catnip toy also tested positive for a "tremendous amount" of the toxic metal cadmium. The levels of cadmium found were 236 micrograms per kilogram.

Two other Wal-Mart pet toys were analyzed, a cloth hedgehog for dogs and a plastic dumbbell toy for cats. Expertox found cadmium in those two pet toys, but the lab toxicologist said the levels found were similar to the amount in one cigarette and not considered significant.

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.itchmo.com/expertox-finds-lead-other-toxins-in-wal-mart-pet-toys-2877

Aug 16, 2007
A Philadelphia woman says her dog died after eating tainted dog food treats bought from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has quietly pulled the made in China dog treat from its stores. There has been no announcement to the public as of yet. It is also uncertain of how many tainted bags of treats there may still be out among consumers.

Kate Collins said it is hard to talk about. Bella, her two-year-old Chihuahua, died suddenly in July after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.
Collins said that Bella died within a week after eating the treats. The other dogs did not receive the same treats and are unaffected.

Bella's owner had the animal hospital do an autopsy and they found that Bella died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.


July 21, 2007 -Natural Balance has announced that it is recalling it's Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs due to a supplier's recall.
The affected formulas include 15oz cans of: Irish Stew, Hobo Chili, Chinese Take-Out and Southern Style Dumplin's with Gravy.
 
The supplier, Castleberry Foods, found one instance of botulism in improperly sealed cans.

The recall information was only sent to subscribers to their newsletters. This information is not yet available on the Natural Balance website.

Full details at:
http://itchmo.com/read/natural-balance-recalls-food-due-to-botulism-risk_20070721
 

In April, Itchmo posted about a FDA salmonella contamination alert in American Bullie Dog Chew products.

In a follow-up to their salmonella contamination, a FDA warning letter dated June 11, 2007 was sent to T.W. Enterprises, the company that makes American Bullie Dog Chew products. The letter referenced the FDA inspections that were conducted on January 18 and 23.

During these inspections, the FDA not only found salmonella in the products, but they noted that the company had other violations. The company was found to be dipping their products in bleach.

The inspection also revealed that it is a practice of your firm to allow pizzles to [redacted], then to submerge them in [redacted] of water containing [redacted] bleach for [redacted] hours. Household bleach is not approved for use in animal feeds. Firms or individuals who want to use a substance in feeds for a purpose for which the substance is either not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) or approved by the FDA as a food additive are required to first contact the FDA or file a food additive petition to establish the safety and utility of the substance for its intended use.

The warning letter gave T.W. Enterprises 15 days to correct their actions and comply with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

We were completely blown away that a company would dip pet food products in bleach. We contacted the compliance officer to see if T.W. Enterprises had corrected their actions and complied with the act. We are still waiting for a response and will post it as soon as we hear from the officer.

Continue reading: FDA Warning Letter To Company That Makes American Bullie Dog Chew Products

 

EXCLUSIVE: Lab Reports Cyanuric Acid In Unrecalled Dry Food
May 24th, 2007

Itchmo has learned that a toxicology test reported the presence of cyanuric acid in an opened bag of what is alleged to be Iams Large Breed dry dog food. According to the report obtained by Itchmo, (available on the site) the results have been certified by a forensic toxicologist. The testing method detects concentrations in excess of 0.1%. We have obtained a copy of the toxicology report and you can see for yourself. We have remove personal information for privacy reasons and a correct lot number was obtained.

We have contacted Iams :In response, Iams says they are “fully confident” that no cyanuric acid or melamine entered their products. They also defended their “exceptional response” to handling customer complaints. When asked if they were testing for melamine and cyanuric acid after the manufacture of their products, Iams said that they were “constantly improving their quality control processes.”

Iams Large Breed does not list rice protein concentrate or wheat gluten as ingredients.

We cannot stress this point enough: This test was performed on a sample from an opened bag. We do not know if this is an isolated case of contamination before or after the sale, or if it is widespread.This information requires verification and we are asking for your help.

Itchmo is asking you to find an unopened 20 lb. bag of Iams Large Breed dry dog food that matches the lot number: 260608 70574173 F4 US30940 with the expiration date of 6/26/08.If you find an unopened bag, please email us at tips@itchmo.com and we will provide further instructions. If it's the right bag, we will pay for the cost of the bag of food, shipping and testing. There will be no cost to you.

If an unopened bag is found and tested, we will release the results as soon as they become available regardless of the outcome.
Full Article:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-reports-cyanuric-acid-in-dry-food_20070524
 

 

May 23, 2007 Recall Expansion: Menu Foods Adds Two More to Canadian Recall List

In a press release dated today, Menu Foods has added two more items to their Canadian recall list:

1) Western Family Canada Chicken Cuts/Gravy canned dog food dated December 11, 2009 to March 7, 2010 (624g)

2) Western Family Canada Chunks of Chicken/Gravy canned cat food dated December 11, 2009 to March 7, 2010 (374g)

Menu Foods said that these two items should have been added to their recall expansion on May 2 and just recently noticed that they were omitted.
 

May 22, 2007 Costco brand Nutra Nuggets dog food tested positive for melamine
NEW RECALL: Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Formula for Dogs Recalled

We have been able to confirm that Nutra Nuggets (made by Diamond Pet Foods) is recalling their Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Formula for Dogs with the Best Buy dates of October 9-10, 2008. We spoke with a vet at the Nutra Nuggets recall line and he said that so far, they had only heard of 2 cases in which the dogs had renal diseases (confirming the news report from yesterday).

He said that it was due to cross-contamination due to food being produced for Natural Balance (Natural Balance had recalls in mid-April). At this time, he said that no other food produced by Nutra Nuggets was being recalled.

A central California vet is reporting that tests on a bag of Nutra Nuggets-brand dog food purchased from Costco tested positive for melamine.

Veterinarian Dr. Matt Humason says “We began asking questions…we found the dogs all ate the same food from the same store at the same time… so we sent a sample to get it tested and it came back positive with melamine.” All four dogs ate Nutra Nuggets brand food.
 
A sample was sent to a lab at UC Davis and [the pet owner’s] fears were confirmed.

NEW RECALLS: More Recalls from Chenango Valley Pet Foods
May 18th, 2007

Last night, there were recalls of Lick Your Chops and Evolve made by Chenango Valley Pet Foods, and there's more to add to that list. According to a FDA press release dated 5/17/07, here is a list of recalls of dry pet food from Chenango Valley Pet Foods
(this list even includes ferret food now):

        * DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH LAMB & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT DOG FOOD, NET WT. 6 LBS. (UPC 25141 28244), 15 LBS. (25141 30074), and 30 LBS. (UPC 25141 06043); Date Codes: Best By Feb 09 09 and Best By Feb 26 09;
        * SHOP RITE REDI-MIXT DOG FOOD FOR DOGS, NET WT. 25 LB. (UPC 41190 00555), Date Code: Code C7107;
        * LICK YOUR CHOPS KITTEN & CAT FOOD, NET WEIGHT 4 LBS. (UPC 32976 25915), and 18 LBS. (UPC 32976 25925); Date Code: Best Used By April 29 08; [We posted this recall last night]
        * SHEP chunk style dog food, NET WT. 20 LBS. (UPC 41498 14142); Date Code: Best By March 14 08;
        * 8 in 1 Ferret ULTRA-BLEND ADVANCED NUTRITION DIET, NET WT. 20 LBS, UPC 26851 00413, Code: C7072;
        * Bulk Lamb & Brown Rice Formula Dog Food, Date Code: Feb 09, 08, sold to one consignee SmartPak.
        * Health Diet Cat Food Chicken & Rice Dinner NET WT. 1.81 kg/4 LB (UPC 78198 01594), 4 kg/8.8 LB (UPC 78198 01599), and 8 kg/17.6 LB (UPC 78198 01585); Code C7072;
 

UPDATED MAY 18, 2007: NEW RECALL: Evolve Dry Kitten Food Recalled
Evolve is recalling their dry kitten food formula with the Best Used By date of September 13, 2008.

Their Triumph canned food brand was also a part of a previous recall.
Evolve's announcement says:

    Evolve Kitten Food made on March 12, 2007 has now been included in [the recalled pet food] group.

    As of today, 99.4% of the 27,560 lbs. of product made on March 12, 2007 (Best Used By Sep 13 08) has been accounted for and removed from sale. Currently there is 168 lbs. that has not been accounted for. The above 168 lbs. is a total of 9 units in 3# and 7# sizes.

NEW RECALL: Lick Your Chops Recalls Dry Cat Food
May 17th, 2007

Lick Your Chops is recalling their Kitten and Cat dry food in the 4 lb. and 18 lb. bags with a Best By date of 4/29/08, due to the possibility this product may have been cross-contaminated.

The food doesn't contain any wheat gluten, corn gluten or rice protein concentrate, but "it was produced around the same time there may have been other products manufactured that contained rice gluten, even though tests on these products did not indicate any presence of contamination".
 

Updated May 12, 2007-Royal Canin is recalling more products: eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products. Royal Canin states small traces of melamine were found in the rice protein concentrate provided by Cereal ByProducts.

These eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products with Best Before date codes between
July 28, 2007 to April 30, 2008
are being voluntarily recalled

SENSIBLE CHOICE® (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® Chicken and Rice Adult (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® Chicken and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE®  Lamb and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® Chicken and Rice Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® Chicken and Rice Large Breed Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® NATURAL BLEND Adult (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® NATURAL BLEND Senior (Dry Dog Food)
- SENSIBLE CHOICE® NATURAL BLEND Puppy (Dry Dog Food)

KASCO® (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
- KASCO® Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Hi Energy (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Maintenance (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Mealettes (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Mini Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
- KASCO® Cat (Dry Cat Food)
 


BREAKING NEWS: Menu Foods Recall Expands Dramatically May 2nd, 2007

This recall expansion covers dozens of new brands and foods.

Menu Foods has previously recalled wet cat and dog food produced with contaminated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc.

Menu Foods is now expanding the recall due to the possibility of cross-contamination. Menu Foods has received a report from a customer and has received study results, both of which indicate cross-contamination.

Recall includes cuts and gravy and select other products which do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten but which were manufactured at any of Menu Foods’ plants during the period that ChemNutra wheat gluten was used at that plant, to the extent they have not already been subject to a recall,

Recalled Brands List

Due to several recall expansions, we suggest that you avoid all these brands.
(Updated 5/2 with major Menu Foods recall expansion.)

For Cats

For Dogs

Dry Food

1.                  Blue Buffalo Spa Select Kitten

2.                  Drs. Fosters and Smith

3.                  Hills Prescription Diet m/d

4.                  Lick Your Chops

5.                  Natural Balance - Venison

6.                  Royal Canin Veterinary Diet

Treats

1.                  Pounce Meaty Morsels

Wet

1.                  Americas Choice, Preferred Pets

2.                  Authority (PetSmart brand)

3.                  Best Choice

4.                  Blue Buffalo

5.                  Cat's Choice

6.                  Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul

7.                  Companion (Stop & Shop, Giant Food Stores)

8.                  Compliments

9.                  Co-Op Gold

10.               Demoulas Market Basket

11.               Despar

12.               Eukanuba

13.               Fame

14.               Feline Classic

15.               Feline Cuisine

16.               Fine Feline Cat

17.               Food Lion

18.               Foodtown

19.               Giant Companion

20.               Giant Eagle

21.               Hannaford

22.               Harmony Farms

23.               Hill Country Fare

24.               Hy-Vee

25.               Iams

26.               J.E. Mondou

27.               La Griffe

28.               Laura Lynn

29.               Li'l Red

30.               Loving Meals

31.               Masters Choice

32.               Max Cat

33.               Medi-Cal

34.               Meijer's Main Choice

35.               Natural Balance

36.               Natural Ultramix (Castor and Pollux)

37.               Nutriplan

38.               Nutro Max Gourmet Classics

39.               Nutro Natural Choice

40.               Paws

41.               Pet Pride (Kroger brand)

42.               Performatrin Ultra

43.               Presidents Choice

44.               Price Chopper

45.               Priority US (Safeway brand)

46.               Publix

47.               Roche Brothers

48.               Royal Canin Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula

49.               Save-A-Lot Special Blend

50.               Schnucks

51.               Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans

52.               Sophistacat (PetSmart brand)

53.               Special Kitty Canada

54.               Special Kitty US (Wal-Mart brand)

55.               Springfield Prize

56.               Sprout

57.               Stop & Shop Companion

58.               Stuzzy Gold

59.               Tops Companion

60.               Trader Joe's

61.               Triumph

62.               Wegmans

63.               Weis Total Pet

64.               Western Family Canada

65.               Western Family US

66.               White Rose

67.               Winn Dixie

68.               Your Pet

Dry Food

1.                  Drs. Fosters and Smith

2.                  Natural Balance - Venison

3.                  Royal Canin Sensible Choice

4.                  Royal Canin Veterinary Diet

5.                  SmartPak

Treats

1.                  Beef Sticks

2.                  Blue Buffalo

3.                  Champion Breed

4.                  Companion's Best

5.                  Dollar General

6.                  Gravy Train

7.                  Happy Tails

8.                  Harmony Farms Health Bar

9.                  Jerky Treats

10.               Lassie Lamb

11.               Natural Balance - Venison

12.               Nurture

13.               Ol'Roy

14.               Perfect Pals

15.               Pet Life

16.               Stater Brothers

Wet Food

1.                  ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy

2.                  Americas Choice, Preferred Pet

3.                  Authority (PetSmart brand)

4.                  Award (PetSmart brand)

5.                  Best Choice

6.                  Big Bet

7.                  Big Red

8.                  Bloom

9.                  Blue Buffalo

10.               Wegmans Bruiser (Wegmans brand)

11.               Cadillac

12.               Canine Caviar Gourmet Beaver

13.               Canine Caviar Gourmet Turkey

14.               Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul

15.               Companion (Stop & Shop, Giant Food Stores)

16.               Compliments

17.               Co-Op Gold

18.               Demoulas Market Basket

19.               Diamond Lamb and Rice

20.               Eukanuba

21.               Food Lion

22.               Giant Companion (Giant Food stores)

 

24.               Great Choice

25.               Hannaford

26.               Harmony Farms

27.               Health Diet Gourmet Cusine

28.               Hill Country Fare

29.               Hy-Vee

30.               Iams

31.               Kirkland

32.               La Griffe

33.               Laura Lynn

34.               Lick Your Chops

35.               Loving Meals

36.               Mana Pro Uni-Milk/li>

37.               Masters Choice

38.               Meijers Main Choice

39.               Mighty Dog Pouch (Nestle Purina)

40.               Mixables

41.               Mulligan Stew Chicken

42.               Mulligan Stew Turkey

43.               Natural Balance

44.               Natural Life

45.               Nu Pet

46.               Nutriplan

47.               Nutro Max

48.               Nutro Natural Choice

49.               Nutro Ultra

50.               Nutro

51.               Ol'Roy Canada

52.               Ol'Roy US

53.               Paws

54.               Performatrin Ultra

55.               Pet Essentials (Target brand)

56.               Pet Pride - Good n Meaty (Kroger brand)

57.               Presidents Choice

58.               Price Chopper

59.               Priority Canada

60.               Priority US (Safeway brand)

61.               Publix

62.               Roche Brothers

63.               Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels

64.               Schnucks

65.               Shep Dog

66.               Springsfield Prize

67.               Sprout

68.               Stater Brothers

69.               Stop & Shop Companion

70.               Tops Companion

71.               Trader Joe's

72.               Triumph

73.               Truly

74.               Weis Total Pet

75.               Western Family Canada

76.               Western Family US

77.               White Rose

78.               Winn Dixie

79.               Your Pet

 

 

Recalls added recently:

Nestle' Purina Beneful -click here to read more about reported illnesses and deaths related to Purina Beneful pet food

UNAPPROVED, UNTESTED, or UNNECESSARY INGREDIENTS

 

SUSPECTED TOXINS - DOG FOOD

 

 

SUSPECTED TOXINS - CAT FOOD

 

 


March 29, 2007

The below Eukanuba prescribed foods were the subject of an FDA warning letter because they contain a prohibited food supplement, chromium tripicolinate, the safety of which has not been studied in dogs or cats.Chromium tripicolinate has been linked to acute renal failure in humans. The Iams Co. has not stated a date by which time the compound - which continues to be listed as an ingredient on the Iams Web site - would be removed.

 

Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Optimum Weight Control dry
Restricted-Calorie/Canine dry and canned

 

 


March 29, 2007

The below Eukanuba prescribed foods were the subject of an FDA warning letter because they contain a prohibited food supplement, chromium tripicolinate, the safety of which has not been studied in dogs or cats.Chromium tripicolinate has been linked to acute renal failure in humans. The Iams Co. has not stated a date by which time the compound - which continues to be listed as an ingredient on the Iams Web site - would be removed.

Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Optimum Weight Control dry
Restricted-Calorie/Feline dry and canned

 


Natural Balance recalls more products
- this time canned. Same ingredient (rice protein concentrate) different manufacturer (American Nutrition). natural-balance-expands-recall-to-canned-foods_20070426 Products recalled are:

    * Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
    * Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
    * Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
    * Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food 3 oz & 6 oz

BREAKING NEWS: Blue Buffalo Recalls All Canned Dog and Cat Food, As Well As Treats

Blue Buffalo just announced another expansion of the recall covering:

    * All Blue brand can dog foods
    * All Spa Select brand can cat foods
    * All Blue Health Bar treats.

The release indicates that rice protein was added without their knowledge to these products. Blue Buffalo attributes this to "tampering" by their contract manufacturer American Nutrition, who was connected to several other recalls on Thursday.


Rice Protein Recalls Continue to Expand

April 26th, 2007

American Nutrition is finally recalling their foods containing rice protein concentrate. The recall covers Kirkland Signature Super Premium Canned Food, item # 38436, best buy dates of Aug. 21 08 to April 15 of 09. It is not yet clear if that is the extent of all American Nutrition’s recalls.

Chenango Valley is adding one more product to the list in addition to SmartPak and Drs. Fosters & Smith products.

  • Lick Your Chops Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg Cat Food in packages with a net weight of 4 lbs. and a code date best used by April 29, 2008.

For all recent recalls, check Recall Update: Thursday.

(Thanks to PetSitUSA and PetConnection)

Recall Update: Thursday

April 26th, 2007

Wilbur-Ellis Rice Protein Concentrate Recalls:
UPDATE: AP identifies another (fifth) pet food maker that received tainted rice protein concentrate: American Nutrition in Utah. Their products are listed here.

Five pet food makers were said to have received the tainted rice protein concentrate. Four are listed above. More than a week after Wilbur-Ellis issued a recall for all their RPC, American Nutrition has yet to follow through. The FDA is still mum on a complete list of companies.


 


Drs. Fosters & Smith Products Recalled Due to Rice Protein
April 25th, 2007

Another pet food maker - Drs. Fosters & Smith - is issuing a recall due to the use of Wilbur-Ellis rice protein.
    Rice protein concentrate has been indicated as a source of melamine recently found in pet food products. As a precautionary measure Wilbur-Ellis company, the supplier of rice protein concentrate, is voluntarily recalling all lots of rice protein concentrate.
Full details:http://www.itchmo.com/read/drs-fosters-smith-products-recalled_20070425

The recalled products are:

ROYAL CANIN RECALL EXPANDED TO MULTIPLE FORMULAS Updated April 21
Royal Canin Canada adds specialty diet pet foods to recall list...READ DETAILS HERE


BREAKING NEWS: Melamine in Corn Gluten Linked to South African Pet Illnesses
April 19th, 2007 
For the full details, go to:http://www.itchmo.com

The 29 cases of renal failure in South Africa has been linked to melamine in corn gluten used in pet food. Corn gluten is used extensively in the US.

Tests have confirmed that Vets Choice and Royal Canin dog and cat dry pet-food products contained corn gluten contaminated with melamine, says the manufacturer. The contaminated corn gluten was delivered to Royal Canin by a South African third-party supplier and appears to have originated from China.

We were tracking cases of the South African pet deaths before and have heard rumors of corn gluten contamination.

At this point, we believe that all corn gluten should be considered at risk for contamination and should be tested by every pet food manufacturer and the FDA.
 

 

NATURAL BALANCE "VENISON & RICE" PET FOOD RECALL
Due to contaminated Rice Protein Concentrate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Pacoima, CA -- April 17, 2007-- Natural Balance, Pacoima, CA, is issuing a voluntary nationwide recall for all of its Venison dog products and the dry Venison cat food only, regardless of date codes. The recalled products include Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats, and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food. Recent laboratory results show that the products contain melamine. We believe the source of the melamine is a rice protein concentrate.   Natural Balance has confirmed this morning that some production batches of these products may contain melamine.

The recall was prompted by consumer complaints received by Natural Balance involving a small number of cats and dogs that developed kidney failure after eating the affected product.

Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect food and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should be seen by a veterinarian. We recommend our customers immediately stop feeding our recalled venison products regardless of date code and return unused product to their retailer for a full refund.

The products are packaged in bags, cans and zip lock treat bags and sold in pet specialty stores and PetCo nationally.
No other Natural Balance products are involved in this voluntary recall as none of our other formulas include the rice protein concentrate.

Although the problems seem to be focused on a particular production period of the venison products, over the last four days we have notified our distributors and retailers by phone and e-mail to immediately stop selling and return all recalled Venison dog foods and treats and the Venison dry cat food. Venison canned cat food is not involved.

The source of the melamine appears to be a rice protein concentrate, which was recently added to the dry venison formulas. Natural Balance does not use wheat gluten, which was associated with the previous melamine contamination.

None of Natural Balance’s other dry formulas, none of our other canned or roll products and none of our other treats are involved with this voluntary recall.

We continue to work closely with the FDA in their ongoing investigation.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-829-4493 or email info@naturalblanceinc.com.

 

Latest recall involves MediCal canned Dissolution formula.
We recommend checking labels of everything you have on hand and prior to making new purchases, and not feed ANY products containing wheat gluten . If you know for a fact that you've fed some of these foods, the pet should be taken to the vet's for immediate bloodwork, which Menu Foods will pay for.

Another brand of cat food is being recalled after Royal Canin Canada discovered from Menu Foods that its product contained contaminated wheat gluten. $50M lawsuit filed against pet food company Royal Canin
Another big pet-food manufacturer is accused of selling tainted food in Canada that has allegedly killed some animals and made others sick..
.
Read more about Royal Canin here

.

The affected product is Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula canned food.

One production lot with the best before date of Jan. 8, 2009 contains the tainted ingredient. But Royal Canin is taking the precautionary step of recalling all date codes. The food is prescribed only through veterinary clinics and is not available through retail outlets.

"After being repeatedly reassured by Menu Foods, as reinforced by FDA public statements, that none of the contaminated wheat gluten had made its way to Canada, we were completely shocked to learn yesterday that this was not the case, and that this wheat gluten had been used in the Feline Dissolution Formula canned product," said Xavier Unkovic, CEO of Royal Canin Canada.

"As animal health professionals and pet owners ourselves, we know this recall will cause concern for our customers as it has for our entire Medi-Cal/Royal Canin team," said Dr. Brent Matthew, Veterinary Division Director. "We deeply regret that this has occurred."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month announced that it had found melamine, a chemical used in plastics and some fertilizer, in samples of recalled pet food. Pet owners who are feeding the recalled product to their cats and have questions are asked to call Royal Canin at 1-866-494-6844.

 

Prompted by reports from the US Food and Drug Administration as to the presence of melamine in cans of cuts and gravy pet food produced in Menu Foods' Canadian production facility, Menu Foods undertook an accounting of all recalled wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc. to Menu Foods in the United States.
As the result of that review, Menu Foods has identified a single interplant transfer of the ChemNutra supplied wheat gluten, shipped from
Menu Foods' plant in Emporia, Kansas, to its plant in Streetsville, Ontario. This wheat gluten was subsequently used in the production of
pet food in December, 2006 and January, 2007, which is being recalled by Menu Foods.

The new varieties in the United States and Canada have been added to the recall list. The latest recall group is listed below, and a complete list of recalled products, including the new items can be reviewed at www.menufoods.com
 

What Pet Foods Have Been Withdrawn from the Market?