Rat poison has been found in pet food suspected of causing kidney failure that has killed at least 16 cats and dogs nationally.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what’s been causing pets to become ill, several veterinary experts in Washington state said Friday.
Although one toxin has been identified in the recalled pet food, “there’s nothing to say there aren’t two, three, four or five,” said Charlie Powell, a spokesman for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“They’re still a long, long way diagnostically from drawing that line of cause and effect from the information made public so far,” he said.
Any information on the potential cause of the problem is good to have, said Sandy Willis, president of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association.
“I think the labs are still looking to make sure we’re not missing something else,” she said.
Veterinarians already have been treating sick pets with fluids, which is one of the steps that would be taken if the poison is found to be the cause the problem, she said. Pets suspected of being sickened by the tainted food, and being treated in this way, “are doing very well.”
Willis, who works at an animal diagnostic laboratory in Kent, said she’s recently seen an upsurge in the amount of blood samples taken from pets to see if the animals are healthy.
“So lots of pets are being tested,” she said.
Her advice to worried pet owners remains the same: If your dog or cat seems sick, “you need to get to the veterinarian.”
Pet owners “can’t take care of animals at home without seeing a veterinarian first,” Willis said.
The toxin in the pet food was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, New York state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.
Aminopterin is not registered for killing rodents in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, though it is used as a cancer drug. New York state scientists wouldn’t speculate on how the toxin got into Menu Foods’ now-recalled pet food but said no criminal investigations had been launched.
Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods and found aminopterin in two of them. Hooker said they would be testing individual components of the pet food, as well.
“Any amount of this product is too much in food,” he said.
Aminopterin, also used as a cancer drug, is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, it can cause kidney failure, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation in the pet deaths was focusing on wheat gluten in the pet food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the ingredient could have been contaminated, the FDA said.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
However, pet owners and veterinarians said the tally could actually be higher, and other deaths were reported anecdotally around the country.
Menu Foods last week recalled “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
Henderson said the company does not believe the tainted 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.
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.”
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case.
“I don’t know where we’ll go from here,” he said.
A complete list of the recalled products was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at www.menufoods.com/recall.
The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: 866-463-6738 and 866-895-2708.
Herald reporter Sharon Salyer contributed to this report.
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