Test Results Show Recalled Pet Food Contains Rat Poison

Rat poison may be the culprit in killing more than 15 cats and 1 dog and causing the recall of more than 60 million cans and pouches of cat and dog food manufactured by the parent company Menu Foods.

The recall affects popular brands sold at large retailers such as Walmart and Kroger, and also private brands sold in supermarkets such as Eukanuba, Iams, and Nutro. 95 brand names in total are a part of the recall. The pet foods were causing kidney failure in animals and had the potential to be fatal. (For the full list of pet foods and all brands affected, click here).

Spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Jessica Chittenden has confirmed the presence of the rodent poison in the pet food; although she will not name the exact chemical that has been discovered.

The Food and Drug Administration has recently stated that they have been focusing on the wheat gluten in the pet food, and it has only now become clear why that may be. While the FDA stated that the wheat gluten could possibly contain toxic molds or heavy metals, ABC News has reported that a substance called aminopterin could have been on imported wheat within the pet food. Aminopterin is a rat poison in other countries but is not used for that function in the United States, and is "highly toxic in large doses", according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The agriculture department and Cornell University's Animal Health Diagnostic Center, who are testing the pet food, have not confirmed the ABC News report that the recalled pet food contains aminopterin.

While it is still unclear how and why rodent poison contaminated pet food, State and Federal agencies have not confirmed any criminal investigation at this time.