Odom: Contaminated pet food may be in La.

On the heels of the recent peanut butter recall, the state’s Agriculture and Forestry commissioner is warning consumers about a pet food recall.

Commissioner Bob Odom said contaminated Menu Foods, Inc., dog and cat food products may be in Louisiana, and is warning people to double-check their pantries before serving the product to their pets.

Menu Foods, Inc., reportedly pulled 90 brands of “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food products off the market after more than a dozen pets died from kidney failure caused by eating contaminated food, according to a release issued by Odom’s office. The products were produced between Dec. 3, 2006, and March 6.

“We’ve had a lot of calls from concerned pet owners around the state wanting to know more information and how they can protect their pets,” Odom said.

“The first thing pet owners should do is check their pantry and see if they have any of the products included in the recall,” he noted.

A list and lot numbers of the recalled pet food brands is available at www.menufoods.com.

“If they have any of the products, pet owners should stop feeding it to their pets immediately,” Odom said. “If the animal has already consumed the recalled food, then they should watch for signs of illness and contact their local veterinarian if symptoms occur.”

Symptoms of kidney failure in animals include loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, sudden changes in water consumption, or changes in the frequency or amount of urination.

The Food and Drug Administration and Menu Food, Inc., are studying the cases to determine the exact cause of the contamination, the release noted.

Dog and cat food sales in the United States reached over $14.3 billion in 2005, according to the Pet Food Institute that represents manufacturers of commercial pet food.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said recalled pet foods contained melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, but that its tests failed to confirm the presence of a rat poison, aminopterin, reported by the New York State Food Laboratory. The FDA said it also found melamine in wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the wet-style products. Still, it was not immediately clear whether the melamine was the culprit in the deaths.

“We are angered that a source outside the company has adulterated our product,” Menu Foods Chief Executive Paul Henderson said Friday.

Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said Saturday it was recalling all sizes and varieties of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. Purina said a limited amount of the food contained a contaminated wheat gluten from China.

Also on Saturday, Del Monte Pet Products announced it was voluntarily recalling some of its dog and cat treats with certain date codes. The affected brands are Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats. The company said two other products sold under private labels also are affected: Ol’ Roy Beef Flavor Jerky Strips Dog Treats and Ol’ Roy Beef Flavor Snack Stick Dog Treats.

Del Monte said it was recalling the food after learning that the wheat gluten supplied to it from a Chinese plant contained melamine.

Henderson insisted his company’s products are safe and undergo the “highest levels” of testing.