I just read, on another list, that some vets are reporting the following - cutting and pasting from that list:

quote:
Veterinary offices are now being warned that ethylene glycol was found in these foods. Ethylene glycol is the dangerous ingredient found in antifreeze. It can cause death in dogs and cats very quickly.

If your dog/cat ate any of this food or is showing any signs of ethylene glycol poisoning please call your local vet asap.

end quote

I have personal experience w/ anti-freeze consumption - not me, but my sister. It is devasting...

This scares me... I have not confirmed it myself, but the source is a reliable stable person..

Wendy

I called my vet the other day and inquired about the Iams dry cat and dog food, they gave me a range of numbers to watch out for on the bag. This has me so worried.

Angie, maybe you should check with your vet and get the report. I did read that the company will reimburse for vet bills.

Rat Poison to Blame for Pet Food Contamination

Sources Tell ABC News Rat Poison Has Been Found in the Contaminated Pet Food That Has Killed Scores of Animals

By DAVID KERLEY
abc News

March 23, 2007 — ABC News has learned that investigators have determined that a rodent-killing chemical is the toxin in the tainted pet food that has killed several animals.

A source close to the investigation tells ABC News that the rodenticide, which the source says is illegal to use in the United States, was on wheat that was imported from China and used by Menu Foods in nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food.

Watch "World News" for full details on the extent of the poisoning.

A news conference is scheduled for this afternoon by experts in Albany, N.Y., where scientists at the state's food laboratory made the discovery a week after a massive recall of 60 million cans and pouches was issued.

The chemical is called aminopterin.

What investigators can't say so far is whether this is the only contaminant, if it is in all of the recalled food, or if it's in enough quantity in to sicken more animals.

There is some good news according to the source. Knowing the chemical should aid veterinarians who are treating animals that have been sickened by the pet food.

Aminopterin is used in the United States in, of all things, a cancer drug, according to the source.

For a week, investigators have been looking for a cause behind the 15 confirmed pet food deaths tied to contaminated pet food. Many animal doctors, including those at New York's Animal Medical Center, suspect there will be a much larger rash of cases after they learned about an additional 200 reported cases of kidney failure in animals.

Doctors at the hospital, which is considered the Mayo Clinic of veterinary medicine, say they noticed the kidney failure while studying sick animals from last Friday to Monday, and traced the cases back to the 60 million cans and pouches of recalled food from Menu Food.

"I was shocked and surprised — acute kidney failure is not a common problem," veterinarian Cathy Langston told ABC News. "I've already heard about 200 cases, and so I bet that there are probably going to be thousands."

So far, the government and the pet food maker, which sells food under 91 brand names, have confirmed 15 deaths. But the investigation to locate the toxic contaminant that caused the kidney failure in animals had not pointed to a cause until today.

"This is very much like finding a needle in a haystack," Don Smith of the Cornell Veterinary School said earlier this week. "We're going to keep working at this until we find the cause."

Investigators had already begun looking at the possibility that a pesticide or chemical may have been on the wheat used to produce the Menu Foods dog and cat food.

The Food and Drug Administration, which was notified of the tainted food one day before the recall, said it's frustrated and realizes the growing crisis is an emotional one.

"This is tragic," said Stephen Sundolf of the FDA's Veterinary Medicine group. "It is certainly uncommon. We expect pet food to be safe."

And it's a crisis, if the New York hospital is right, that may not end for weeks.

"I'm worried that there are more deaths to come from chronic renal failure over the next several months," Langston said. "It's not over."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=29...page=1&US=true

I'm so sad to hear this, and not just a little bit angry. When I first posted about the recall, I said that I hoped they had caught it soon enough. Now we read reports that they knew last month but did nothing. Sources are starting to warn that we could see cases mounting into the thousands. Perhaps this tragedy will help serve as yet another warning to the government that stringent Food Safety regulations and frequent inspection programs are an absolute necessity in today's global economy. It would be nice if all the needless deaths counted for something.

All WEt Food Has Been Recalled. That Is All Brands.

Now there are also concerns about long term health problems for animals that survive the initial problems. Here is a link to an article in the Long Island Newsday.

Chemo drug tainted pet food, officials say - Newsday.com

Just when you think it can't get any worse.

Very true Paul. This is a major concern for me. Buddy, our Black Lab mix, had been on some of the recalled canned food for some time. He has always been a finicky eater, so it's hard for me to say whether some of his bouts of bad appetite could have been tied to the tainted food. He's going on 11 years old, and apparently in good health, but who's to say with non-acute Kidney damage? All we can do at this point is hope for the best.