Food recall may extend to Cosco & chicken

[Nina]

This was just sent to my Pyr e-mail list thought that I would post it here too. It is kinda long.

Diamond Pet Food Recall
1/4/06 11:53am ET - Update From AnimalHelp:

Despite claims that the brands below are the only brands affected, We
have received feedback from pet owners who have recently fed both
Cosco "Kirkland" brand pet foods and Chicken Soup Brand Dog Food,
whose pets have exhibited the same symptoms as noted with Diamond
Brands and the aflatoxin contamination.


**Please be aware that while these animals had all the same symptoms
of aflatoxin illness the test results have not been completed yet and
it will be a short time before we know for sure whether their deaths
were caused by the food. There are other illnesses and diseases that
cause liver failure and may be to blame. But because the foods these
animals were eating are all made by Diamond, and the symptoms are
the
same, we want to warn you to be on the lookout for similar illness in
your animals until we know for sure.


Sadly, a 2 year old Skye Terrier died Monday January 2nd, 2006. He
was
eating Chicken Soup brand food and displayed the symptoms of
aflatoxin
illness before he died. The other dogs in this household are also
sick. Liver profiles, toxicology screenings and pathology results are
pending.

Also, a cat death has occured on Tuesday January 3rd, 2006 in upstate
SC. This cat was eating Cosco brand cat food and displayed the
symptoms of aflatoxin illness. Pathology results are pending on this
cat. We know of one other cat who almost died from the same
symptoms
of aflatoxin illness and also was being fed Cosco brand cat food.

Cosco's Kirkland Brand pet foods are made by Schell & Kampeter , who
also make the Diamond Products. Chicken Soup is considered one of
their super premium food, and they also make Nutra Nuggets. Cosco
Kirkland is made at one or more of the Diamond plants.

If you feed your pet Cosco brands - or ANY other pet food brands (it
is possible that other store brands are made at Diamond plants) - and
see illness and symptoms as mentioned here, we urge you to get your
pet to your veterinarian immediately for a liver profile.

We expect the Chicken Soup brands and the Cosco brands will be
added
to the official recall very soon if the test results from these two
recent deaths provide proof that cause of death resulted from
ingestion of aflatoxin in the food. We will keep you up to date if any
changes are announced.


Because of testing conducted by officials in North Carolina, Diamond
Pet Foods has added Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs to the list of
recalled products manufactured in our Gaston, S.C. facility and
distributed in the eastern U.S.

The product, Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs, contains a "Best By"
date of January 29, 2007.

Testing performed by the North Carolina agriculture department showed
a single bag of the product contained high levels of aflatoxin. The
product was discontinued in August of this year.

According to Mark Brinkmann, chief operations officer for Diamond Pet
Foods, the company will continue working closely with state officials
and will not hesitate to take action if testing warrants.

Customers should return any unused product to their retailers and
should consult their veterinarian if pets show any signs of illness.
Complete information can be found at HYPERLINK
"http://www.diamondpet.com"www.diamondpet .com, or by calling the
Diamond Pet Foods Customer Information Center toll-free at
1-866-214-6945.

What products are being recalled?
Recalled products can be identified by the Date Code and "Best By"
dates listed on the back panel of the package. Recalled products will
have a capital "G" (in reference to Gaston) in the 11th or 12th
position of the date code (18 lb. to 55 lb. bags), and "Best By" dates
between March 1, 2007 and June 10, 2007. The capital "G" will be in
the 9th position on smaller 4 lb. to 8 lb. bags.

Diamond's quantitative analysis records substantiate that shipments
were definitively clear of aflatoxin after December 10. As such, "Best
By 11-June-07" date codes or later are not affected. Also, products
with "Best By" dates prior to 28-Feb-07 are safe.

Products manufactured at our Gaston S.C. facility included in the
recall:

Diamond Premium Adult Dog Food
Diamond Hi-Energy Dog Food
Diamond Maintenance Dog Food
Diamond Professional for Adult Dogs
Diamond Performance Dog Food
Diamond Puppy Food
Diamond Low Fat Dog Food
Diamond Maintenance Cat Food
Diamond Professional Cat Food
Country Value Puppy
Country Value Adult Dog Food
Country Value High Energy Dog Food
Country Value Adult Cat Food
Professional Chicken & Rice Adult Dog Food
Professional Puppy Food
Professional Large-Breed Puppy Food
Professional Reduced Fat Cat Food
Professional Adult Cat Food

What products are NOT included in the recall?
Although certain pet foods produced at the Gaston facility have been
voluntarily recalled due to potential aflatoxin contamination, a wide
range of the plant's products are perfectly safe and still can be
purchased from retailers.

Gaston products not part of the recall include:

All Premium Edge products
The complete Chicken Soup product lines***
Diamond Lamb and Rice Adult
Diamond Large Breed Adult 60+
Diamond Large Breed Puppy (Lamb & Rice Puppy)
Diamond Senior 8+
Diamond Kitten
Professional Lamb and Rice
Professional Reduced Fat Chicken & Rice Dog Food

What states receive products from the Gaston facility?
The Gaston facility provides products to our customers in Alabama,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan*, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New
York, North Carolina, Ohio*, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee*, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

*These states receive product from other Diamond Pet Food facilities.
Please check your date code carefully. Unless it has a capital "G" in
the 11th or 12th position of the date code on the larger 15 lb. to 55
lb. bags, it is not included in the recall. The capital "G" will be in
the 9th position on smaller 4 lb. to 8 lb. bags.

Are products manufactured at other Diamond facilities affected by this
situation? No. Products manufactured at our Gaston facility are the
only ones subject to the recall.

What clinical signs should I look for from my pet?
Symptoms of potential illness in dogs may be difficult to discern, but
include:

Loss of appetite
Yellow whites of the eyes, yellow gums, yellow in the belly or areas
where hair is very thin Severe, persistent vomiting combined with
bloody diarrhea Discolored urine Fever

Please be aware that many other medical conditions have similar
symptoms. Your veterinarian will be able to distinguish between these
other conditions and an exposure to aflatoxin based on your pet's
medical history and current symptoms. Please consult with your
veterinarian if you believe your pet is ill, no matter what the cause.
If your veterinarian diagnoses and treats your pet because of exposure
to aflatoxin, please have your veterinarian contact Diamond Pet Foods
toll free at 1-866-214-6945.

What should I do if my pet consumed recalled products and has any of
the clinical signs? If your pet has consumed products included in the
recall and exhibits these systems, please urge your veterinarian to
run a liver profile. If your pet is found to have abnormal liver
function, please have any other dog you may own that was fed the same
food tested for liver function as well. Even if your pet does not show
symptoms, monitor it for 7 to 12 days and consult your veterinarian if
illness develops.

If possible, please save 1-2 cups of the food for testing and
analysis.

When should I take my pet to the veterinarian?
If your dog has consumed affected products and has clinical signs of
aflatoxin, which include loss of appetite, yellow whites of the eyes,
yellow gums, yellow in the belly or areas where hair is very thin,
severe, persistent vomiting combined with bloody diarrhea, or
discolored urine, you should immediately consult your veterinarian.

Because numerous diseases and conditions may have similar clinical
signs, your pet could have a problem other than aflatoxin. If your
veterinarian institutes treatment for aflatoxin, please have him or
her call Diamond Pet Foods toll free at 1-866-214-6945 and ask to
speak with one of our consulting veterinarians.

How can I get a refund?
If your product has been recalled, please take the bag and any
remaining product back to the retailer where it was purchased for a
full refund. Your retailer will ensure the product is returned to
Diamond Pet Food for proper analysis and disposal. Many retailers may
offer to replace the product. Please consult your retailer for
specific refund or replacement options.

What is Aflatoxin?
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical by-product from the
growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus, on corn and other crops. The
fungus develops on crops during years with severe high temperature
stress and drought.

Diamond's quantitative analysis records substantiate that Diamond's
corn shipments were definitively clear of aflatoxin after December 10.
As such, "Best By 11-June-07" date codes or later are not affected.





FDA Investigation of Diamond


Pet Food Finds Some Product Exported

In its continuing investigation of the contamination of pet food
manufactured at Diamond Pet Food's Gaston ,  SC , facility, the Food
and Drug Administration has found that some of the product subject to
a company recall had been exported to at least 29 countries, including
countries within the European Union.

Diamond Pet Foods is recalling certain lots of pet food made at the
plant earlier this year after the discovery that some of the products
were contaminated with aflatoxin, a toxin created by the fungus
Aspergillus flavus. The company has notified distributors and asked
them to hold recalled products. (More information about the recall,
including the specific products covered, is available at HYPERLINK
"http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/diamond12_05.html"www.fda.gov/
oc
/po/fi rmrecalls/diamond12_05.html.)

FDA's Office of International Programs has notified the countries that
received the product about the recall.




To date, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine has received reports
from four States of 41 dogs becoming ill reportedly from consumption
of the contaminated pet food, with 23 of these dogs having died.



Report of Suspect / Presumptive Canine Aflatoxicosis - Clemson
University (PDF, 22Kb)

Use this form to report suspected cases of aflatoxin toxicity in dogs
with a history of ingestion of Diamond brand dog food.

[brandon]

OH CRAP!!!! I feed Chicken Soup, the cats & dogs both get it! OH man.. that reeks

[brandon]

Wait a min.. Aflatoxin is from corn, and Chicken soup doesn't contain any corn.


This is what I see on Animalhelp.com:
http://www.animalhelp.com/hometown/articledetail.cfm?artid=568

It doesn't say the same thing you just posted, do you think it could be a hoax?

[brandon]

I can't find any info on it anywhere.. & it is not in the news anywhere I can find :

http://news.google.com/news?hs=Vbh&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&tab=wn&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d&q=dog++diamond+food&btnG=Search+News

[Nina]

Hmmm I don't know if it is a hoax I just got it in an email. I don't feed either brand of food but I thought that I would put this out there as I know that people here feed these brands of food. This is the first I have heard of it. I guess keep an eye out in case this is brand new info??


Nina