Pet deaths expected to rise despite recall - Reuters

[kestrel91316]

http://www.vin.com/WebLink.plx?URL=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1929324120070319?src=031907_1655_DOUBLEFEATURE_more_news

[tridim]

1. So sad.. This WILL happen to the human food supply in the future

It's probably already happening with the mega farm "food".

[wicket]

2. No doubt

It's pretty scary to think about.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Already is. Spinach recall was made public, but there are mad cow cases being kept under wraps

[kath]

7. Do you have any info on recent mad cow cases?

I have avoided ground beef (including any sausages or broth products containing beef. gelatin also gives me the creeps) since the 1st mad cow case 3 years ago. (was avoiding beef entirely at first - now will eat boneless cuts, or grind up boneless cuts at home to make our own ground beef). My family thinks I am nuts. And while I agree that the odds of any one individual contracting BSE are small, I don't trust our govt. *one frickin' bit*, and I just CAN'T get those pictures of prion-infected brains from med school out of my head...

What a horrible way to die - to have your brain eaten full of holes...

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. My dad mentioned it to me. Not sure what his source was but I am sure we can find a

mad cow watchdog group online that might have all the latest info.

[devilgrrl]

8. Aren't you glad the BFEE got rid of all those meat inspectors?

Who needs them?

:sarcasm:

[Sancho]

3. Thank you for the information!

Much better than the local media.

[AllieB]

4. This is so sad

I can't imagine losing my dog or kitties. :-(

[Xenotime]

6. I weep for the suffering animals...

Somebody needs to go to jail for this.

[kestrel91316]

10. AVMA's recommendations for pet owners re the food recall:

http://avma.org/press/releases/070319_petfoodrecall.asp

[kestrel91316]

11. Interesting perspective from a veterinary epidemiologist:

From another website (for vets):

"....A few folks have asked where the epidemiologists are, and I'm one. (Well, maybe only officially if I pass the boards this summer!) I worked an emergency shift starting Sat morning, and, having heard about the recall Friday, the first thing I did Sat was to check for the list of recalled products. Then I came onto VIN and was checking as everyone posted updates of cases. Had me very worried all weekend; I'm surprised the media took so long to pick up on the gravity of the situation. We had one case come in, and my own cat's blood is running right now. Had my 2 tv interviews this evening.

From my humble epi point of view, there isn't much to add to the discussion. I feel that the vehicle has pretty well been established, especially after 20% of the animals in the Menu Foods taste trial died. The traceback has been followed to the presumed common point source (the manufacturer), and a potential source (the wheat gluten) has also been identified. But I wouldn't be surprised if they find something other than the wheat gluten as the problem. It is really up to the tox folks now.

Since reporting of adverse events is passive under our present system (vets and/or clients have to take the initiative to call in to FDA if there is a problem), it can take longer to identify an outbreak or mass exposure than if active surveillance (someone calling clinics to see how many cases they have) were being applied. Banfield has a huge, nationwide database that has been studied for various research projects. If a person or program were monitoring the database for reports of ARF or vomiting + lethargy + PU/PD (syndromic survellance), maybe an early rise in cases would have been caught. In humans, there is more mandatory reporting, and more tools exist for tracking events across a broad population. We just don't have that in veterinary medicine, especially small animal, at this time.

Sorry I can't be of more help. I hope the tox folks get an answer sooner rather than later. All we can do is keep the fluid pumps hooked up!..."

[kestrel91316]

12. Info from vet at Iams (posted on vet board):

"Some updated information from Iams. I sincerely apologize if you are trying to call Iams Consumer Relations and cannot get through. The call volume is very high.

Etiology: The cause has not been confirmed. External and internal experts are focused on finding a causal factor as quickly as possible.

Clinical signs: The clinical signs described in our data base are as follows:

*Acute vomiting shortly after ingestion of food (approximately 1-12 hours post ingestion)
*Anorexia and lethargy
*May or may not demonstrate excessive salivation, hematuria, weakness, and oral ulcerations
*Kidney values (BUN, Creatinine, and Phosphorus) are greatly elevated. Most are higher than in-clinic reference range.

Treatment: Patients are treated with supportive care for acute renal failure (IV fluids, antacids, etc.) Veterinarians should use a treatment protocol best suited to the individual needs of their patient. Even though renal values are exceptionally high, patients are responding favorably with values slowly progressing toward normal.

Iams is a reputable company and will do the right thing. We will be reimbursing clients for their veterinary expenses where we have documented cases of renal failure in dogs or cats who have eaten the affected code dates. For clients who have a dog or cat that is not showing any clinical signs, but would like them checked, we are advising an examination, CBC, chemistry profile, and urinalysis. However, if you can only get a small amount of blood, a BUN,creatinine, and phosphorus will provide you with the most pertinent information.

Regards,


Melody Foess Raasch, D.V.M.
External Relations
Iams-P&G Pet Care, NA"

[kestrel91316]

13. Very interesting tidbit I found from a vet post:

"......Rumor from a friend pretty high up in the pet food industry is that it was known Canadian grain had high levels of mycotoxins this year, that Menu Foods saved money by buying what was known to be suspect grain, and they tried to counter any ill effects by adding toxin inhibitors to the grain......."