Pet owners worried by dog and cat food recall

BY PATTY MINTZ

Kings County Register

Pet owners in the area are nervous about a major pet food recall affecting dog and cat food sold throughout North America.

Menu Foods, Inc., a pet food supplier based in Streetsville, Ont., announced March 16 a “precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between Dec. 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007.”

The recall involves dog food sold under 50 different brand names and cat food sold under 40 brands, including Iams, Eukanuba, Compliments and Presidents Choice. The recall is limited to “cuts and gravy” style pet food in cans and pouches.

An unknown number of dogs and cats have suffered from kidney failure and several have died as a result, mainly in the U.S., after eating the affected products. Extensive testing has so far failed to uncover the cause of the problem.

Store manager Barry Corkum says the New Minas SuperStore didn't have to remove products from its shelves because it didn't have any of them to begin with, but the store has been inundated with questions nonetheless. “We've had a ton of inquiries,” says Corkum. “A lot of people are calling and we've had people returning pet food not included in the recall. People are feeling paranoid, but I don't blame them. If they're uncomfortable (with the product they've purchased) bring it back. “The only (brand involved in the recall) we had was Iams and we checked the production codes.”

Veterinarian Dr. Dana Power says the Annapolis Animal Hospital has had its share of inquiries from clients with pet health problems, which have turned out so far to be unrelated to the recall.

At Sobey's in New Minas, the recall has resulted in an “insignificant” amount of Iams and Compliments pet food products carrying the recall production codes being removed from shelves, says store manager John Rideout.

To help ease customers' fears, says Rideout, “regardless of what the codes are, if people are feeling uncertain, by all means, return it anyway.”

A complete list of the recalled pet foods can be found on the Menu Foods website. A toll-free line - 866-895-2708 - is said to be having a hard time keeping up with an avalanche of inquiries.