For all members with pets- PLEASE READ! They could be in danger!

[El]

No joke.  I'm posting this everywhere, and I have a friend whose pets are sick.  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/business/19pet.html?em&ex=1174363200&en=d54fd7a2d53a3ab5&ei=5087%0A  There has been a recall of dangerous pet food.  http://www.menufoods.com/recall/index.html  is a master list of the foods that are affected.  If your pets are eating any of the affected foods, don't let them eat any more of it!

I know this isn't an "Intense" topic, but I think it's important enough to post anyway, in case any members here have pets and didn't know about this yet.  I may be a crazy bitch but I apparently still have a tiny little shred of a soul.

[Callaway]

Thanks for posting the link.

[Nomaken]

My father knew about this last week, he tells me, since I just rushed down to ask what kind of food we feed them.  Apparently we're in the clear.  Although I don't believe in it as unquestionably as he does, animal life is way more sacred in my house than human life and he is fairly on the ball in that respect.  Thanks though, crazy bitch ^_^.

[Peter]

Gluten sounds like a pretty horrible thing to be feeding animals, given the problems it causes in humans.

[ASpHole]

Thanks for the info, mine gets kibble and whatever human food that gets dropped on the floor.

[Callaway]

They found a kind of rat poison in the tainted pet food, aminopterin:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070323/ap_on_re_us/pet_food_recall

ALBANY, N.Y. - Rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 17 cats and dogs, but scientists said Friday they still don't know how it got there and predicted more animal deaths would be linked to it.

After the announcement, the company that produced the food expanded its recall to include all 95 brands of the "cuts and gravy" style food, regardless of when they were produced. The company also said it would take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of the food.

The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

The federal government prohibits using aminopterin for killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said no criminal investigations had been launched....

Please follow the link for the full article.

[El]

Yeah, I heard about that.  I wonder what sick fuck thought it was a good idea to put rat poison in the food?

[Scrapheap]

Yeah, I heard about that.  I wonder what sick fuck thought it was a good idea to put rat poison in the food?

Most likely a disgruntled worker who wanted to get back at the company. 

[Callaway]

Yeah, I heard about that.  I wonder what sick fuck thought it was a good idea to put rat poison in the food?

Most likely a disgruntled worker who wanted to get back at the company. 

The pet food was manufactured in two plants in Kansas and New Jersey, so it is unlikely to have been contaminated there, the CEO for Menu Foods says.  They are testing every component of the food now and they have taken responsibility for the injured pets' medical bills.

Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by the manufacturer and found aminopterin in two of them. The two labs are part of a network created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals and food supply safe.

"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.

Aminopterin is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, the amount of aminopterin found — 40 parts per million — can cause kidney failure, according to Bruce Akey, director of Cornell's diagnostic center.

"It's there in substantial amounts," Akey said.

Donald Smith, dean of Cornell's veterinary school, said he expected the number of pet deaths to increase. "Based on what we've heard the last couple days, 16 is a low number," Smith said.

Aminopterin is no longer marketed as a cancer drug, but is still used in research, said Andre Rosowsky, a chemist with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Rosowsky speculated that the substance would not show up in pet food "unless somebody put it there."

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, said the company does not believe the food was tampered with because the recalled food came from two different plants, one in Kansas, one in New Jersey. Menu continues to produce food at the two plants.

The company, already facing lawsuits, said Friday it is testing all the ingredients that go into the food.

"We have a lot of work to do, and we are eager to get back to it," Henderson said. "This is a highly unusual substance."

When asked whether there would 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 complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.