To Whom It May Concern:
At Arizona Skies Animal Hospital
we are committed to bringing you the most up-to-the- minute information
about pet health. This letter contains breaking news in the current
recall of pet foods.
During the manufacturing process
there was contamination of one or more of the ingredients used to make
many different pet foods. It is not yet known where or when this happened;
however, all the affected foods appear to contain an ingredient supplied
by the distributor Menufoods.
The contaminant causes kidney
damage, and in some cases death. It can also cause gastrointestinal
upset. Symptoms of kidney failure are increased thirst and urination,
decreased appetite, lethargy and vomiting. If your pet has symptoms
of renal failure, make an appointment to bring your pet in immediately.
In cases where the toxicity is caught early and treated aggressively,
pets have recovered.
This recall does not involve dry
food. If feeding only dry, no change is necessary.
Foods involved are: cuts
and gravy style canned and foil pouch dog and cat foods. There are many
brands involved including Eukaneuba, Iams, Cadillac, Nutro and NutroMax,
Ol Roy, and numerous store brands. There have been reports of problems
from every region of the US and Canada.
A list of affected brands and
links to specific lot of serial numbers and/or UPCs can be found at www.fda.gov and at www.menufoods.com. If you wish our assistance in determining
whether your food is on the list, you can visit our web site at www.cavecreekpets.com or contact our office at 480-488-3400.
However, due to the magnitude of this problem, we cannot promise to
answer each query quickly, so try to verify if your product is on the
recall list on your own.
If you can confirm that
you have fed a product whose serial or lot number or UPC is on the list:
Save all unopened cans or pouches.
Find any empty cans or pouched that may still be in your garbage and
save them in plastic bags. Make an immediate appointment to have your
pet examined and kidney function evaluated via laboratory testing.
If you have been
feeding one of the foods on the list but have different serial or lot
numbers or UPC:
We advise not to continue to feed
these foods since the recall list may be expanded to include batches
of food not originally recalled. Please save these foods in case they
are added to the recall, so that they may be submitted for analysis
if indicated.
If
your pet has been eating one of the types on the recall list, but you
don’t know if they have ever eaten one of the know affected batches:
we advise that you made an appointment to have laboratory evaluation
of kidney function preformed. This appointment should be immediate if
there are any signs of kidney problems, even if you cannot confirm lot
or serial numbers as begin in the current recall.
At this time we do not know that,
if any, cost of diagnostic testing or treatment will be reimbursed by
the manufacturer. We require payment at the time of services and recommend
that all receipts and product packaging be saved, and associated costs
documented. We will cooperate fully in collecting any and all evidence
that may be necessary in detecting any link between a pet’s illness
and this terrible incident.
Please call us at 480-488-3400
if you have a question regarding the pet food recall.
Sincerely,
Arizona Skies Animal Hospital