By By Lisa Tindell – news writer
Local veterinarians are busy answering phone calls from pet owners who are concerned about the health of their animals.
That concern, and the number of calls, has grown recently as the scope of a national pet-food recall has widened to include more than 90 varieties of dog and cat food. The recall has been issued by the Ontario, Canada based pet-food producer Menu Foods. The company has placed a recall on cans and pouches of dog and cat foods and came as a result of illnesses, including kidney failure, among pets that consumed products made by their company.
Parker said blood work on cats or dogs that have become ill will indicate whether the animal is suffering from any renal failure.
Dr. William Thompson at Animal Medical Service has taken calls from concerned pet owners regarding possible effects of the contaminated products.
Thompson said concerned pet owners who feel their pets may be experiencing some health problems may request blood work and urinalysis to determine if a health issue exists with the animal.
Both Thompson and Parker said some symptoms that could be cause for concern is loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness or lethargy, increases in water consumption and urination and possibly disorientation.
State Veterinarian Tony Frazier with the Department of Agriculture and Industries said there are no statistics currently available on how many animals may have been affected in Alabama.
Frazier said the compliance division of the Department of Agriculture are actively enforcing the compliance of retailers in this recall.
The recalled products include foods for cats and dogs that have been contaminated with aminopterin. The suspect contamination is a component of rat poison. The recall does not include any dry pet food products but is limited to cans and pouches of certain brands of foods.
Menu Foods suggests taking any foods suspected of contamination back to the retailer where the product was purchased for a full refund. The recall affects 42 brands of cat food and 53 brands of dog food.
Cat food brands sold in the Brewton area that are part of the list of recalled products include Eukanuba, Iams, Loving Meals, pets Price, Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans, Special Kitty and Winn Dixie.
Dog food brands sold in the Brewton area include Eukanuba, Iams, Mighty Dog pouches, Ol'Roy and Winn Dixie.
For a complete list of all foods involved in the recall, consumers are encouraged to visit the Menu Foods web site at www.menufoods.com.