Vets offer advice to pet owners about food recall

News Release
OVMA

TORONTO, March 21 /CNW/ - The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) is urging pet owners to check pet food labels against the list of foods recalled by Menu Foods at www.menufoods.com/recall, and to monitor their cats and dogs for signs of acute renal failure.
“The association has received a lot of calls from veterinarians with patients which have eaten the recalled foods, and which have suddenly shown signs of acute renal failure,” says Dr. Reg Reed, President of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association. “Acute renal failure can be fatal. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential.”
Over the past few days, OVMA has received dozens of calls from veterinarians who are seeing a sudden increase in acute renal failure, predominantly in cats.
“It is imperative that pet owners check their pet foods against the list provided by Menu Foods on that company’s web site (www.menufoods.com/recall),” says Dr. Reed. “Each brand listed on the web site has a number of products that have been recalled. Pet owners need to check the brand name, then the product name, then the lot number.”
Pet owners who are or have been feeding a pet one of the foods on the Menu Foods list are advised to:
-Stop using any pet food with the recalled lot number immediately.
Keep any full/empty cans/pouches.
-Monitor their pets for symptoms of any health problems.
-See a veterinarian immediately if they observe any of the following symptoms of acute renal failure - vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, decreased or increased output of urine, difficulty urinating, more or less frequent urination, increased drinking or decreased drinking.
While there is currently no conclusive evidence that the recalled food has caused renal failure in any Canadian pets, the recalled food has been linked to a number of pet deaths in the United States, and Ontario veterinarians are concerned about the recent drastic increase in acute renal failure cases - especially cases occurring in younger, otherwise healthy cats.