Rat Poison Found in Recalled Pet Food

A week ago, pet food manufacturer Menu Foods, Inc. announced a massive recall of 60 million containers of pet food. Today, in a shocking new development, scientists found rat poison in the food.

There is no official word yet as to how the poison could have gotten into the pet food. According to ABC News, however, a "source close to the investigation" said that the poison was on wheat that was used in the pet food -- wheat imported from China.

So far, at least 15 cats and one dogs have died after eating the contaminated food.

Bloomberg reported that Donald Smith, the dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, said at a news conference today that "based on what we've heard in the last couple of days, 16 seems like a low number."

Smith also said, regarding the scientists' discovery, "We believe it is a significant finding,. It may not be the last finding.''

Scientists from the New York State Food Laboratory and from the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University worked in a close partnership to test the affected food.

The poison which was found, called aminopterin, is not allowed to be used in the United States, although its use is permitted in some other countries. It can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats, and cancer and birth defects in humans.

Aminopterin was originally developed as a drug to treat cancer, but it was replaced with another drug in the 1950s due to its toxicity. According to Wikipedia, aminopterin, in a purer preparation, is now being tested in clinical trials as a potential treatment for leukemia.

For a list of the brands that have been recalled, see the manufacturer's website at www.menufoods.com/recall or call them at 1-866-895-2708 or at 1-866- 463-6738. The company says that they have improved their website and beefed up their call center. Earlier this week, many people said they were unable to get through to the company on the phone.

Sources

"Rat Poison Found in Tainted Pet Food," by Mark Johnson, March 23, 2007, Associated Press