Menu Foods Victims

Simba's Story

2007-04-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name:Simba
Breed: Shih Tzu
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

In the summer of 2002, our family received a new addition. Our bundle of joy was a beautiful little Shih Tzu, who had been dumped in a friend's driveway. We named him Simba. Like the "Lion King" that he was named for, Simba believed that he was royalty; and we treated him as such. Simba had his own spot on the living room couch and slept each night in our bed. He was a late sleeper, so each morning he "bed hopped" from our room to our son's room and back again. ( I work days and my husband works nights.) He went with us in the car and rode in the boat on fishing trips. He was family. We spoiled him terribly. Unfortunately, Simba did not like dry food so we fed him wet food in pouches-- if only we could have known.

Suddenly, one day Simba stopped eating. We took a trip to the vet and he was diagnosed with Kidney failure. My heart broke.

I took a week of vacation from work and stayed home with him. I held him, carried him around outside in the sunshine, and swung with him in the porch swing. As the week, progressed Simba grew worse. He vomited, became weak, and was so thirsty for cold water that he tried to drink from the toilet, and so on; it was terrible. On that final day, I came to the horrific realization that it was time to have him put to sleep. Thankfully, it was unnecessary for Simba passed away in my arms at 12:40 pm Thursday, March 15, 2007, in a small church parking lot on the side of the highway. I just turned around and took him home. We laid him to rest under the peach tree in our back yard. Our bed felt empty. I slept that night on the couch.

By Friday night, we were beginning to come to some peace in the grieving process. We said things like, "he had a good life", and "he was happy". We cried. This was normal and healthy grief.

However, on Saturday, we learned the horrible truth and the grief turned bitter. Simba's death was no longer natural, but rather preventable and unnecessary. I became angry. I have often wondered how many Americans, besides me, spent time on Saturday, March 17 digging through their trash for empty pet food containers; all the while hoping that it was not true. Things like this do not happen to us. Yet, it was true, it had happened to us, it was no longer deniable, the numbers and dates matched.

Unjust guilt reared it ugly head. Bittersweet memories were replaced with memories of me calling, "Simba, here's your dinner", as I poured poisoned food into his bowl; and thoughts of "if only I hadn't bought that food for him." You see, I had bought eleven pouches of a different brand. The pouches that we normally fed him were not recalled. Words cannot describe how that felt!

Even so, like water on rock, time constantly chips away at the edge of pain. I am dealing with this experience and my grief is healthy and normal again. I am angry, but not with myself. I was not responsible. We gave Simba a good life-it was too short-but it was good. He was happy.

Life goes on, and we bought a little Shih Tzu puppy; not to replace Simba, that is impossible. Rather to fill the hole that he left. We immediately fell in love with Kovu. Our bed was full again!

Then I got a phone call on Sunday evening two weeks ago. A poor little Shih Tzu, the same age as Simba, needed a home (just as Simba had once needed a home). So now, we have Kopa. (That one's for you Simba.) Our bed overflows! Toenails click on the wood floors and vaccination tags jingle. This is like music to my ears.

I sit now on my living room couch with the notebook on my lap and both Kovu and Kopa snuggled against my legs. Kovu is snoring. Life is becoming normal again.

Post Card Blitz

2007-04-24T21:56:00.001-05:00

From Itchigo.com

My Pet Counts! Postcard Blitz

We are calling on all pet owners, parents, guardians who have lost a pet due to contaminated pet food to join us in a post card blitz to demonstrate the full scope of this pet food recall disaster.

The FDA continues to publicize only “16 confirmed deaths.” This number has often been repeated by the media. Reliable sources report that the number of pet deaths are and will be much higher - most likely in the thousands.

If you want your pet’s death to count for something good, please join the My Pet Counts! Post Card Blitz.

Who: Anyone who has lost a pet due to contaminated pet food.

What: Post cards may have a picture of your pet, or can be blank.
Purchase cards or design your own. Each set of postcards represents one pet. If you have lost multiple pets, send multiple cards to each address. Only one set of postcards per dead pet, please. Postcards ONLY, this is to ensure the mail is delivered with no security delay.

Where: No need to leave home. You can mail your postcards from your own mailbox.

When: All postcards should be mailed on Saturday, April 28th.
This coincides with the national march organized by KOPS (Keep Our Pets Safe). If all postcards are mailed on the same day, the impact will be all the greater when received at the other end.

Why: By sticking to the “only 16 confirmed deaths” wording this disaster is being grossly minimized. The word must get out!

How: Mail a postcard to each of the addresses provided.

The message should be very short, easy to read, no anger, profanity, or rudeness of any kind. Let them see your grief. Tug at their heartstrings. Use your pet’s name. Use the words “My Pet Counts!”

Post card Mailing List:

Marcia K. Larkins, D.V.M
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine
Ombudsman
7519 Standish Place HFV-7
Rockville, MD 20855

Senator Richard Durbin
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Your own senator: addresses at http://tinyurl.com/b1lm

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Anderson Cooper
c/o CNN
One CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-2762

Bro's Story

2007-04-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Bro
Breed:Shih Tzu
Location: Johnston, RI
Pet's Story:

I became Bro's pet parent when my ex BF could not paper train her. She was 6 weeks old, and a sweet little darling Shih Tzu. She was pure bred, but he did not get official papers with her. I had her trained in a week and she was my constant companion. She learned to take direction quickly and always minded me. A year later, a baby Coon/Angora kitty joined us. The kitty ran around the house so fast I named her Jet. They became best friends for life. I checked into food, and the best was recommended: Nutro. That is all she ate, both the dry and wet, her whole life. I went to a new vet in the fall of 2006, and he completed blood work on both pets. Jet was fine; Bro's tests were "off". The vet said it was because she was 13 years old, so when she began getting sick, not eating, and drinking 4 times her normal water intake, I thought it was old age. One day she had a seizure right next to me on the couch. After that she was blind, could not find her way around, then she could not walk. She kept having seizures more often. She only weighed 10 lbs. at her best weight; she weighed 7.5 lbs. when she died on January 5, 2006. I thought she died from old age until I saw all her symptoms listed on television in March, 2007 when the first recall of pet food was announced. Then I went on-line and checked the menufood recall list, and there was her food on the list. I will never get over the fact that I poisoned my beloved Bro. She was always full of life and jumping and barking, so happy to see me when I came home. She is buried in her favorite spot in my yard. A friend is carving a wooden memorial for her; he has two Shih Tzu's that are still living. I filed a lawsuit and have spoken with some of the people included in the class action. We all feel the same, because we did not KNOW about the food and kept giving it, not knowing it was poisoned. I still look for Bro when I come home, and I know how other pet parents are devastated with broken hearts over their pets killed by some chemical in their pet food. Some new regulations and safety laws have to come out of this tragedy, so our pets did not die in vain. My cat is still alive and still looking around the house for Bro.

Wilbur's Story

2007-04-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

Pet name: Prince wilber carmel
Breed: Truskish Fan
Location: IL
Pets story:

I got Wilber at a few months old. He was thrown outside by someone and came looking for food. He came to my house at midnight the time my mom and sis was coming home from the store. My dad woke me up to get some food for a kitty. I went outside and i saw this Beautiful cat in the world. He had an arrow on his forehead. My mom came home and sister..My mom said maybe we will think about keeping him at the time my older sister though He was a she cause she didnt see anything..(not untill the vet said it was a he) The next day My older sister went looking for him. I was at school with my baby sister. I came home and My dad said My Mom had a baby. I went to go look and there he was..rolled up in a ball. The most cutest thing ive ever seen.

In 2006 I had gotten sick. I was in the hospital every few weeks. When i would come home He would be waitin for me. He would walk up to me and give me kisses. He was my best friend in the world. He would watch me dance,sing,and even act! I would read him books and Sing him to see at night. He had a speical spot on my bed and he'd sleep there everynight to watch over me. When i would make Bacon he'd meow the most wonderfulest meow a happy cat could make. In December I bought him speical kitty cans and pouches. and they were dated 3rd and the 4rd that they were made. On the 4th I gave him a pouch and then he just wasnt acting right at all. He was wetting himself and wasnt eating he was throwing up..I was so scared that i rushed him to the ER vet. They did some blood work and it said he had Serious renal failure..They said it would be best to put him to sleep..I said I cant My dad needs to say goodbye first. My dad cant get out of the house cause he cant walk. I brought him home at almost 3 am in the morning I and my dad said goodnight to him and that we love him. i placed him under the christmas tree. I was sleeping on the couch cause i was worried. at 6:30 i woke up in the morning and He was laying next to me. He was lifeless and he was crying. I Picked him up and went by my dad and told Wilber that he can go see the angels. I even promised him i'd name my first child thats a boy after him. a few mins later He waved goodbye with his paw. he had tears. I was crying so hard that i would have passed out. He was my little angel he protected me from storms that im scared of and he would watch over me..He would Also play with his little brother who is a bunny who was only 6 months old at the time. they would cuddle up together. When i call my house I always think im gonna hear him meowing in the background or when i make turkey or ham that im gonna see his little face asking for some. I get Deja vo when i walk in the house and think hes gonna be laying on the floor. Once the recall was out I called my vet He said That would have been the only way he would have gotten sick that fast was cause he ate the food.Speical Kitty! My Poor Baby died..He didnt need to die he was my angel who was supose to see me turn 16..He died December 5th,2006 and was born December 25th 1997

I will always love you wilber your always in my heart.

Gables' Story

2007-04-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Gables
Breed: Domestic Shorthair (Part Bengal)
Location: Russelville, TN
Pet's Story:

This is the story of my friend Gables (7 years old). She was my neighbor's cat and had just had kittens (she wasn't even one yet). My neighbors had two young boys and did not take good care of Gables but she had a great disposition. She came over and "played" with the puppy I was raising for the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. One evening, I overheard my neighbors yelling because Gables had bitten one of their kids. Their son had been harrassing her kittens. They talked about leaving her in the woods and I went right over and adopted her then and there.

She thrived with me, sweet-"talking" the plumber into giving me a kitty discount and warming my heart with her sweet playful nature. I called her my "love sponge" because she was so affectionate. I started feeding her wet food as a treat and eventually, her favorite food, "Special Kitty" was what took her out of my life.

She was lethargic, started drinking out of the toilets (not MY cat!) and I took her to the vet when she did not come when I rattled her favorite toy (laser cat toy...she was obsessed!). When I took her in, I was told her creatinine level was 30 (ref range 0.8-2.4) and the BUN was above what the machine could read (all ***). She was losing hair, did not know I was there and I thought this was it, she was not going to make it. She held on and with fluids over the course of the two weeks, she appeared to regain her focus, she knew I was there and finally in the last couple of days would purr when I petted her. Over Easter weekend, the vet felt that since I would be home with her over the weekend, I could take her home and monitor her. I went out to the car to get her crate while they gave her some vitamins and a bath. After waiting a bit, the vet came in and told me she passed away. Her heart had been weakened by the kidney failure and failed while they were bathing her. I thought I was bringing home my feline friend and instead brought home heaviness in my heart and a profound sense of loss. I know we did the best we could for her and miss her every day. I know many other pet owners have gone through this tragedy which makes it all the more painful.

Max's Story

2007-04-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Max
Breed: Doberman
Location:
Pet's Story:

We got Max as a 9 month old Large Puppy! He had already chewed up a rattan couch and swallowed a remote! We were Max's 3rd owner, since no one knew how to handle this large Dobie with so much destructive power! He became our Velcro Teddy Bear! When he came to our house, he went through a few screen doors before we realized that he was scared of thunderstorms!! Max weighed in at 90 pounds and thought he could fit in your lap, he settled for putting his head, upside down in your lap and had his ears rubbed.

Max was 11 years old and still very rowdy, until one day we noticed that he was not moving so quickly and couldn't stand up with his rear legs. One day fine, the next no appetite and no motor control of his rear? We weren't sure what was up, we brought in his bed and laid him in our office, to keep a closer eye on him. Within a day, he couldn't pick his body up at all, and was not able to hold up his head though we helped him and he drank alot. Within 2 and a half days, he was gone! We weren't sure what happened, then on April 1st, we saw the recall, Alpo beef cuts! He had loved that food, I fed him extra helpings, he was my special buddy. We had stopped the food, when my husband noticed that all the dogs were getting thin...why couldn't we have known sooner? I am at a loss for how to feel. My husband dug a large hole, we buried our Teddy Bear, and planted some lovely plants nearby to remember him by. I hope one day to see him again. He was very special.

Abby's Story

2007-04-16T21:06:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Abby
Breed: Papillion
Location: Ohio
Pet's Story:

This was Abby. She was my best dog friend and companion until February 23, 2007. She was a pure bred Papillon, 23 months old. A more loving dog then I ever had. She was urinating more then usual for a week or 2 and vomiting occasinally, but kept her normal happy and energetic self until Feb 13th when it became apparent something was very wrong. That week northern Ohio was buried in 3 ft of snow and I could not get her to the vet until Friday. By that time her kidneys where shut down with creatin at 18 (off the chart). There was no recall at that time so no one new what was happening to her. She stayed on IV from then until she had to be put down one week later. My vets and all their staff were upset and even another hospital that did her ultrasound sent condolances. They did a necropsy without knowing what to look for. Then 3 weeks later the story broke and yes I had been feeding her Nutro Ultra from the start. I am heartbroken and still haven't gotten over my loss. I doubt that I ever will. She was my all and now she is gone. God bless all the pets and owners going through this tragedy. Joyce

Abby Gayle's Story

2007-04-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Abby Gayle
Breed: Airedale Terrier
Location:
Pet's Story:

Abby Gayle, almost 4 years old, healthy Airedale Terrier until Sunday March 18. Got home from grandma's 69th Birthday just before dark, only to find her laying in the backyard, she hadn't touched her food or water that day. Took her downstairs and put her on her doggy bed, with special treats and water near by and came upstairs and called my friend who worked for the local vet. We live in the boon docks, about 3000 foot elevation. I got on the computer and read about the Pet Food Recall, noting that it was only the wet food not the dry which we had been feeding her. I thought that she was just not feeling well. The next morning she could not walk, there were black stools on the garage floor and she had vomit all over her face. We cleaned her up that morning and my friend from the vet called, I told him what was going on and he assured me that the recall was only for wet types of dog and cat food manufactured in Canada. I was told to get some pediolite and try to get as much down her as possible. By this time her mouth and tounge were not under her control. Her eyes were milky and I believe she could not see. I'm disabled and can not lift. I
desperatly tried to get her to the vet but my friend that worked at the vet said it was to late for her that she was in acute renal failure and the local vet would not be able to help her. She died with in my sons arms at 10:05 Monday the 19th of March. If I would have know that there was a problem with the DRY food, then maybe Abby Gayle would still be here. I can't say, maybe I would have not thought she was just having a bad day and taken her to the vet much earlier.

She was about 100 lbs bright eyed and gentle. She could grab your arm with her big mouth and drag you around the house and not even make a mark on you. She was our protector, when bad people tried to get into our yard, Abby Gayle was there to stop them. She would walk up to a strainger and stick her nose up there butt, I don't know why but it sure made us laugh. She was an excellent dog to walk until she would see a deer then all hell broke lose. She would jump straight up and down reminding me of a cartoon dog, a simple pull on the leash and a no Abby was all it took to settle her down but she sure was energetic. She loved to lay in the sun in a large hole she had prepared on the highest spot on the property so she could see everything. I swear to you she could smile and show her teeth when doing so. I don't know when I will get over losing my dear Abby Gayle, but right now with all the lies being dealt out, I can't stop crying. Now all I want to do is help someone else save their pets. It seems impossible at this point, but I will continue trying to save our best friends where ever I go.

Request for emails

2007-04-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

On 4/9/2007 at 8:30PM Eastern Time, the Associated Press posted an article by Andrew Bridges "Tainted Pet Food - Kidney Illness Link" this is a direct cut and paste of the opening of the article:

WASHINGTON - Pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical may have sickened or killed 39,000 cats and dogs nationwide, based on an extrapolation from data released Monday by one of the nation's largest chains of veterinary hospitals.

at 10:19PM the opening of the article was changed to this:

WASHINGTON - Cases of kidney failure among cats rose by 30 percent during the three months that pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical was sold, one of the nation's largest chains of veterinary hospitals reported Monday.

Please email the AP and ask them why they chose to edit this report. Please be polite in your request. The AP is a respected news agency. We need them to help us get the news out. We rely on them to give us the latest information. But, they need to know that using a percentage rather than actual numbers is soft selling this tragedy.

2007-04-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Lily
Breed: 1/2 Siamese
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

My beautiful friend is dead. Not from old age, not from falling asleep next to the heater and never waking up, but from something that could possibly have been prevented if faster steps were taken.

My Lily was 1/2 siamese with a sharp intelligence to match her age of 16 years. She was wise in the way of cats and of people too. She could tell a mouse from a gerbil, and would dispatch the former while guarding the latter until it was returned safely to its cage. She would demand breakfast in the door of the bathroom every morning and evening, for only she, eldest of our cats, was treated to wet food, a point that led to her demise.

She was no ordinary cat, being good at knowing when someone needed a cat to pet, and ear to listen. She had a calming aura and a warm heart. It is hard for me to think of her lively spirit being so still and so cold.

Her stay at the vets lasted four days as the vet tried to treat what he thought was a normal case of renal failure in an older cat even though I had explained that she had been fine up to three days before. She was glad to see me when I visited her, but was so sick she could barely lift her head. Her purr, like quiet thunder, was unabated, and she rested her head on my arm when ever I was there and her eyes seemed to say, "I am tired. I want to rest. Let me rest."

My beautiful girl. Her kidneys had shut down, and she was in renal failure. Her values were so high, some of them wouldn't even register properly. She knew, there at the end. I held her for almost an hour before I asked the Dr to come in. She hugged me with her head on my arm, and purred. I told her how much I loved her, and she told me that she craved rest and peace. Anyone could have seen that she was ready to go. She was patience incarnate. When I really started to fall apart, she fixed me with an eye, and momentarily snubbed me, as if to say, "Hold it together." So I talked to her a while longer, and she hugged me and I finally called the Dr in. It was over quickly. She stuck her tongue out when she died, but, unable to be undignified even in death, she convulsed twice, and pulled her tongue in. I sat with her for a long while after, and fell apart then. I fixed her tail neatly around her haunches as she liked to hold it, and eventually made my goodbye and went home. Death by kidney failure, or so we thought.

The announcement of the pet food recall didn't penetrate my shock until Sunday, and when I finally pulled myself together and checked the numbers of the remaining cans, I was stricken to find that they matched. The cans that I had bought three days before Lily started to act sick were among those being recalled due to some ingredient that was causing cats to go into renal failure. The symptoms matched Lily's exactly. Vomiting, refusal to eat, and lethargy.

Up to the point when she stopped eating, she had been a healthy if elderly cat. She had been eating well every morning and night, had actually been gaining weight, and seemed happy enough to go on for at least a few more years. The sudden vomiting that started Saturday night after she had eaten her fifth can was the first sign of her pending renal failure. She refused to eat more after that and quickly went down hill.

I miss her something fierce. She was much more than a cat, she was my best friend, a constant companion, and the most graceful and lady-like cat I have ever seen. Lovely Lady Lily-locks. I don't know what I am going to do without her gentle company. Who is going to purr me to sleep now. Who is going to come and make me feel better when I am sad? Who is going to demand food twice a day, and who am I going to spoil? We had been each other's friend for so long. Sixteen years.

I remember her as this tiny little kitten, tiny and white. I paid someone $5 for her from an ad in the newspaper. I wanted a white cat. She surprised me by being part siamese, and getting ear and tail markings, not to mention the light stripes on her legs, when she was about a year old. She had the softest fur, like a rabbit's, and chinablue eyes that reflected the light everytime I tried to take picture of her. Her purr was like quiet thunder, and she could meow in about 600 ways. Excellent mouser, she didn't try to kill my gerbils when they got out, but guarded them for me until I could get them.

The days seem darker ahead. My lovely girl. My Lily. My best friend.

Baby's Story

2007-04-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

Pet’s Name: Baby
Breed:
Location:
Pet’s Story:

We adopted Baby from the animal shelter 14 years ago, she was 3 months old, and was very sick with pneumonia, she looked sooo sick. We took her to the vet and in time she was better.

Baby died on 2-21-07 from eating the recalled food. Baby was the love of our house, she was our baby. It was just the 3 of us, my husband, her and me. My married kids commented always on how spoiled a baby she was. She slept with us, she went everywhere with us in my husband’s truck or my car. She rode with us to Florida in the winters. I always made sure she had her pillow and her blanket in the cars. She loved her home. She had so many sweaters, a jean jacket, a suede jacket, t-shirts etc. She went to the beauty salon regularly. At her age she was so active jumping on the couch then to to the back of it to the ledge of a big window. This was her everyday routine. Fast like a young dog. She was a barker and barked at anything and everything that came to the house or passed by.

Baby was “Mommy’s Shadow.” She never left my side and followed me to every room I went to. If I was sick in bed, she never left my side even if I had to stay there for days. Words can not express the love we had for Baby.

Then all of a sudden she started to limp and slow down. We thought it was arthritis because of her age. Now, I am reading in some of the comments on the computer of other dogs with problems with their legs. She also started this massive trembling that was just terrible. I wrapped her in her blanket and cuddled her every time this happened but never helped until 10 minutes or so had passed. We never could figure out what was happening to her. She started going downhill. She seemed depressed and just lay there so sad. She lost her appetite for the last week. She drank increasing amounts of water. She didn’t have the strength to go down 3 steps to go outside. I continued to feed her the same poisoned food because the recall hadn’t been announced yet.

She had a dry cough always ending when she vomited bile. We took her to the emergency vet on Sunday, 2-18-07. I don’t think the vet on call knew what the problem was. He sent her home with 3 different prescriptions for her. On Tuesday we went back to the vet, this time her regular vet. As soon as he examined her he told me “Mrs. Robison, your little dog won’t live much longer.” I cried “Why? Why? She is healthy, it can’t be! She is my baby, Why? He told us she had kidney failure, also something was wrong with her liver and heart. He recommended that we put her to sleep. “Why?” I said, “No way, she looks like a stuffed animal, it can’t be this bad.” So we brought Baby back home, not knowing this next night was going to be just terrible. We stayed up with her almost all night, cuddling her tight. Her breathing was horrible like jumping with every breath, was like watching her die. This was it, she was dieing. As soon as daylight came we took her back to the doctor and he knew we had made the decision to euthanize her. We just couldn’t go one more day seeing her suffer this way. We were taken into the euthanizing room and they explained to us it would be fast and there would be no pain. I was hysterical, crying like I never had before. She looked so beautiful with her bright pink t-shirt, just like a stuffed animal. While they were inserting the needle that would kill her in her little arm. Her glossy sad little eyes kept looking at me like she was saying “Goodbye mommy” My life left with her. The life I was left with doesn’t have any meaning any more. Hysterical I screamed “My baby is gone! I don’t want to go home! I don’t want to go home.” My husband and even the vet had tears in their eyes. The vet asked me if we wanted to say bye to baby. What a terrible thing to do. I kissed her and said “I love you, Baby. I am soooo sorry I poisoned you. I am sorry. I am sorry.” They wrapped her in her blanket then in a plastic back stapled around her body. My baby is gone, now back to the empty hours. Our vet kept her body in a freezer until the snow melted and we could bury her in our back yard.

This house is a sad house now. Everything reminds me of her. Every corner of the house, every piece of furniture, everything. This is torture for me. I miss her terribly. Exactly one month after her death the snow was gone. My husband dug a hole to bury her in and went to bring her little stiff body home. Oh my god to go through this again. He came into our huge back porch holding her in his arms like a present. I started crying hysterically again. Wanting to spend some time with her I kissed the plastic bag, telling her again we loved her, missed her and that she was home again. I finally had to let her go and be buried I can’t stop crying after 2 months. “I love you Baby.”

SAD IN MICHIGAN
BABYS MOMMY

Benjie's Story

2007-04-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Benjie
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Location: Rome
Pet's Story:

FAT CAT WITH ATTITUDE

In Memory of Benjie in Rome — On Mar 20, 2007, I had to have Ben put to sleep. Ben was about 12 years old. He had gone from 18 lbs to 5 lbs in about 2 1/2 weeks. In

January, my oldest daughter moved back home, bringing her Persian kitty, Gizmo.
Our two Balinese cats Benjie and Sassy were definitely curious and a little jealous of Gizmo, but soon settled in with her in there turf. Sassy became her playmate and Ben just observed them except when it was "Snack Time".

Lyndsay bought some cans and pouches of cat food to give them as a treat as she has always done for Gizmo. At 22, Lyndsay doesn't have a lot of money, so she bought a bunch of different pouches of Special Kitty cuts and gravy, and cans of Special Kitty also. My husband and I would get so frustrated as she would take out 3 of my Christmas Saucers to give them all a "Snack". Ben being the dominant male would always eat his share first. A few times he ate all she put down on all three plates, and Lyndsay would complain he was being a pig. She didn't have anymore of that particular flavor, I laughed and said a treat is a treat, they won't know the difference if they get a different kind. Ben started to act different than usual and started sitting up on my computer desk. He would only get down to use his litterbox or get a drink and eat minimal amts of food. He started to loose weight and on Saturday the 19th of March I called my youngest daughter Chelsay who was Ben's girl, and said she had better come spend some time with him as he was very sick and I was going to have to have him put down. I got home from work at 6pm on Sunday and it was obvious she had spent the day crying. She was sitting here in the computer chair looking up at Ben and talking to him. He was her cat and my cat. Noone else could get near him unless he wanted them to. He seemed to be in pain when we tried to hold him so we just talked to him and petted him. He climbed up into my lap that night and layed in his usual spot on my chest. He only stayed a few minutes and then got down and went to get a drink in the kitchen. His back legs weren't even working properly anymore. He fell down in the kitchen and I said that was it, he did not deserve to live like this. I had to go in and wash my chest and arms and hands and change my shirt. He had this awful odor to him. Like something rotting. The next day I spent trying to find a vet to take him to that would put him down. Ben and Sassy were indoor cats and had never been to the vets except to be fixed as Kittens. I finally found a vet that could take us on Tuesday at 3:30pm. When we got there I questioned whether the food could be the problem and was told that they wouldn't know what to look for as they weren't sure what the problem was. It may be a problem with the Wheat Glutin but they don't know yet. So...we had him put down while we petted him and told him we loved him. It was one of the saddest days of my life. A couple days later the recalls started making little blurbs here and there. I got
online and started a search and was horrified to read story after story of other cats AND dogs that died exactly in the same manner as my Ben. How coincidental is that???? I was enraged and devastated to think our "Treat" had killed him and still the info wasn't being put out there for people to see. I was a food inspector in the US Army for 7 years and I have seen how things work, but this is just beyond comprehension. I would like to join a class action suit against Menu Foods. I have called them and the lady I spoke to said for me to stop feeding the food to my cat immediately and I told her 'Not a problem, my cat is dead.' She said she was sorry and someone would be in touch with me as soon as possible. About a week later, I got a call that was automated from some company helping Menu Foods with returning the calls and someone would be in touch with me within 72 hours. That was last week. The FDA also said they would contact me, they haven't. I am just to angry that the work is so slow in coming out. Menu Foods knew way before I put Ben down there was a problem. Cheaper prices overseas....was it worth it??? I THINK NOT!

CNN Tonight

2007-04-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

Anderson 360 will have information on the recall tonight at 10PM Eastern. Remember to watch then leave feedback.

Alex's Story

2007-04-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Alex
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

I am having a difficult time composing myself enough to write you and let you know that Alex had eaten some tainted food and went into acute kidney failure. He was put to sleep yesterday.

On 3-13 he did not eat his normal amount of food and went into dark corners and hid from everyone. On 3-12 he was his usual happy, loving self sitting on my lap and eating everything he could, he weighed 17 pounds. He did not drink a lot of water or have excessive urination.

On 3-14 I had to borrow the funds to take him to the Vet. He did not drink or urinate more than usual. He did not eat as much and his personality changed drastically. The Vet did blood work and his liver and creatine were high. Everything
else was completely normal with the exception of some of his urinalysis values. His bun was low so the vet said he did not have kidney disease period and refused to listen to me about the recalled food. On 3-17 he went back to the Vet and the vet did x-rays to see if he was obstructed...nothing He had lost 2 pounds and was not any better. They hydrated him and assumed he must have an inner ear infection and prescribed antibiotics. He acted better for a day or two and I thought the antibiotics were working. I realize now it was most likely the hydration they gave him. I kept repeating the recalled food, the poison possibility and the vet just brushed me off.

Since his tests (according to the vet) showed no kidney disease I did not hydrate him. They put him on prednisone to increase his appetite and at that point he began drinking copious amounts of fluid and urinating a lot. His appetite increased for two days after the hydration then quit except for water. A full 6 days later on a Sunday the vet called to see how he was doing. I was told that in spite of his drinking I had better hydrate him anyhow and bring him back for creatine and bun blood work. Six days of dehydrating and damaging the kidneys more.

I am telling you this in case you have a pet that has the symptoms Alex had and the vet does not interpret the blood work properly. Look for these things and INSIST the vet listen to you.

When I took him to another vet he looked at the first blood results and said he was in acute kidney failure. The bun does not have to be elevated, it can fluctuate according to if the animal is eating or not and the creatine is the best indicator. His second blood work showed the kidneys had deteriorated beyond the point of any hope of recovery.

If Alex had gone on IV's at his first visit he might have been able to pull through this. He weighed 12 pounds when he was euthanized.

There was no long drawn out illness or downhill slide, this happened overnight and was one day white and the next day black. I knew something was serious. The liver elevation was poison from the food and he was in kidney failure without both of the values being high. There were other values in the urinalysis that should have alerted the vet.

This was so unnecessary. I am so sad and angry. I took Alex home from the harbor(rescued). He was never sick once until this. He was a very special cat!

April 2, 2007 Update

2007-04-02T00:49:00.000-05:00

The day got away from me... but here's the latest:

Count: DeceasedL 2,797 (1,546 Cats / 1,251 Dogs)
Source: www.petconnection.com

Oregon is leading the nation in gathering the real statistics! They report 94 animals have been affected - 31 dogs / 63 cats with 32 deaths (13 dogs / 19 cats).
Source: OregonLive.com and Oregon Veterinary Medical Association

Detention without esamination alert from the FDA identifies source of the Wheat Gluten.
Source: FDA Alert

David Goldstein of The Huffington Post reports the Wheat Gluten was "food grade". Wheat Gluten comes in "food grade" and "feed grade" only. "Food Grade" may be used in food for human consumption.
Source: The Blog: David Goldstein

Senator Durbin press release on Menu Foods available at howl911.com
Source:howl911.com

MSNBC cautions that owners filing individual suits against Menu Foods Income Fund may not receive "much compensation if they individually sue pet food-maker Menu Foods over the death of a dog or cat, although they might fare better if they joined forces in a class action suit, legal experts say."
Source: MSNBC.com

March 31, 2007 Update

2007-03-31T19:35:00.001-05:00

Day 15 of the Menu Foods Income Fund Pet Food Recall News:

Count: 2603 Deceased (1449 Cats/ 1154 Dogs)
SOURCE: Petconnection.com

Senator Dick Durbin of IL is holding a press conference at 1:30CDT to discuss the recall.
SOURCE: howl911.com

AP reports Cats may have a greater sensitivity to the toxins.
SOURCE:Houston Chronicle

Victims Story - Allie

Letter writing campaign started.
Source: Mousabilities

Nationwide March set for April 28, 2007 by "Keep Our Pets Safe"
SOURCE: Keep Our Pets Safe

Victim Collage Created - The Image

March 30, 2007 update

2007-03-30T13:43:00.000-05:00

LOTS of news today.

The Numbers: Deceased Pets: 2447 (1327 Cats/ 1080 Dogs)
Source: www.petconnection.com

FDA says they have received over 8,800 reports concerning the recall.
SOURCE: www.petconnection.com

FDA, PETA and Menu Foods all held news conferences today.
SOURCE: www.cnn.com

Melamine, a chemical used to manufacture plastic has been found in the recalled food and in sick or diseased animals.
SOURCE: www.cnn.com www.abcnews.com www.msnbc.com

DeviantArt a community of artist posted a blog concerning the recall.
Link: http://news.deviantart.com/article/27182/

Menu Foods claims website has this disclaimer: "If your pet's illness (death) is found to be as a result of consuming Menu manufactured pet food subject to the recall then Menu will consider reimbursement for reasonable costs incurred."
SOURCE: Available on request to menufoodsvictims@delilahkstephans.com

19 Law Suits filed against Menu Foods:
1 in Portland, ME Federal Court office
1 in Pensacola, FL Federal Court Office
1 in Providence, RI Federal Court Office
4 in Seattle, WA Federal Court Office
1 in Newark, NJ Federal Court Office
4 in Camdenm NJ Federal Court Office
1 in Newhaven, CT Federal Court Office
1 in Los Angeles, CA Federal Court Office
1 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL Federal Court Office
2 in Fayetteville, NC Federal Court Office
1 in Chicago, IL Federal Court Office
2 in Knoxville, TN Federal Court Office

of those 19 cases:
12 are Product Liability
3 are Property Damage
2 are Personal Injury
1 is Civil Rights
1 is Breach of Contract

SOURCE:
Justia.com

If you want your pets story told please contact me at menufoodsvictims@delilahkstephans.com with your pets story. I do not edit these stories only copy and paste post them. It will be your words.

March 29, 2007 Update

2007-03-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

FDA to make an Announcement Friday 3/30/2007
SOURCE: http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/29/pet-food-recall-fda-news-on-friday/

Stock Price for Menu Food: $3.89 down from Yesterdays $3.99
SOURCE: http://ca.moneycentral.msn.com/investor/quotes/quotes.asp?Symbol=CA:MEW.UN

Call to get Anderson Cooper of CNN involved.
CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 says: It’s what we’re about at “360°.” It includes challenging authority…whistleblowers …corruption ... And we want your help. Please send us your tips with enough detail so we can investigate them.
SOURCE: http://howl911.com

Cornell Lab Unable to substantiate NY State Lab's findings. There could be other toxins in the food.
SOURCE: http://howl911.com

Another blog concerning a victim: http://menufoodskilledmydog.blogspot.com

If you wish to have your pet's story featured here please send an email with a picture of your pet, the pet's name, breed, location, and their story to menufoodsvictims@delilahkstephans.com It will be posted here with no editing.

March 28, 2007 Update

2007-03-29T00:52:00.000-05:00

Current Count: 2274 Deceased Pets (1279 Cats/ 995 Dogs) These are self reported cases.
SOURCE: www.petconnection.com

Scientific American reporter Nikhil Swaminathan post a Special Report: The Poisoning of our Pets.
SOURCE: http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa004&articleID=9AA80BDC-E7F2-99DF-325B0C8F34C09E95

The real numbers are beginning to come out. NBC and CNN are reporting that the number is higher than the reported 16 cases.

Menu Food Income Funds Stock is now trading at $3.99 after a 52 week high of $7.47
SOURCE: http://ca.moneycentral.msn.com/investor/quotes/quotes.asp?Symbol=CA:MEW.UN

Pet Owner Television Interviews:

Disabled Veteran's Cat a victim: http://www.nbc15online.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=22723c7c-cd08-4f39-b224-4c7986cfddfd

Family Pet a Victim: http://www.abc6.com/onset?station=wlne&id=25113&template=breakout_featurevideo.shtml&dateformat=%25M+%25

Otis' and Otto's Story

2007-03-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Otto

Otis

Pet's Names: Otis and Otto
Breeds: Affenpinscher
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

This is my darling 8 year old puppy, Otis. May he rest in peace. Otis is an Affenpinscher - he was the youngest of my dogs, and by far the most spoiled. He
was having trouble eating just dry food, so in December of 2006, I started adding in canned food to his diet. When I tried the chunks in gravy style, he really loved it, so by late December, it was the main part of his diet. And carrots - he loved his baby carrots! The night of December 21 was his last - after eating, he became increasingly ill. Otis didn't have any serious illnesses, and had just been checked
out at the vet a few weeks prior. Otis died early in the morning of Dec 22, before I could even get him to the vet. It was an awful night for both of us, but it has been awful every day since then for me here without him. And then there is Otto, who has serious damage to his liver - it started at the same time the tainted food was introduced into the household. He ate some too - not as much as Otis, but apparently, too much. Otto is on meds for life now - and I hope he will continue to improve - his vets can't rule out liver damage from the tainted food.

March 27, 2007 Update

2007-03-27T19:41:00.000-05:00

Count: 1981 Deceased Pets (1121 Cats/ 860 Dogs) Self reported cases.
Source: www.petconnection.com

Sen. Richard Durban of IL and Rep Rosa DeLauro of CN have sent a strongly worded letter requesting that the FDA answer 5 questions in 15 days:

1. What is the status of the current investigation?
2. Please provide a detailed timeline, from the time the FDA first learned about potential contamination or the first illnesses were reported through the present time, that details the actions takin in response to the outbreak by local, state, and federal health officials.
3. What is FDA's overall regulatory posture with respect to the pet food industry?
4. How many inspections have been conducted at ped food proccessing facillities over the past three years and how many violations have been found? How frequently is each facility inspected?
5) What changes in current law or funding levels are needed so that FDA can better regulate the pet food industry?

Source: http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/Durbin-Menu-Foods-letter-3-26-07.pdf

Rep Dennis J. Kucinich, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy for the Committee on Oversight and Government reform has sent a letter to Mr. Paul Henderson President and CEO of Menu Foods Income Fund asking 15 questions and for the company to provide all internal documents, correspondence, email, record, data and information.

Source: http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/Kucinich-letter-Menu-foods.pdf

If you wish to have your pet's story featured here please send an email with a picture of your pet, the pet's name, breed, location, and their story to menufoodsvictims@delilahkstephans.com It will be posted here with no editing.

Monday 3/26/2007 Update

2007-03-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

Current Count: 1792 Deceased (1018 cats/ 774 dogs)
Source: http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-the-numbers-the-numbers-the-numbers/

7 Lawsuits filed in the US.
Source: http://dockets.justia.com/search?q=Menu+Foods%2C+Inc.

USA Today to run a story tomorrow reporting 4400 calls to their hotlines concerning the recall
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-25-pet-food-scare_N.htm

Angel's Story

2007-03-26T13:48:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Angel
Breed: Chihuahua
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

When Angel got sick we had no idea what was going on. She started having what we thought were seizures and foaming at the mouth on Feb 26th, 2007. We took her to the vet and after 4 days of repeated daily or multiple daily visits to the vet for iv fluid and antibiotics we started getting her better. On March 2nd she started walking and eating, we fed her another can of the food. About an hour later she could not get enough to drink, started foaming at the mouth and her lungs started filling with fluid. We had to rush her at 4am to the emergancy vet to be euthanized. Angel was a rescue chihuahua that came to live with us last October and had became so healthy and happy living with us. She did not have many teeth after a got her dental done so i thought mixing the wet food with her Natural Balance was good for her. I feed all my other pets only Natural Balance so they were not effected. We were stumped on what happened to Angel. After hearing of the recall it started to make sense. We went over it in our heads many times thinking that she acted like she was poisoned. The vets and I even went over the possiblity of a brain tumor at first because of the seizure activity but it did not fit because she did not have the other signs like abnormal pupil size and her reflexes were good. We are at a loss, we have been devistated by her loss and it has about killed us knowing what we were feeding her killed her. I called the vet and they told me to report it to the FDA. I talked to a lady today and she said they have had over 1000 reports of deaths from pet owners and Angels symptoms fit the classic description. She said they were taking it very serious. She said the 10 they were reporting were lab animals that died. 10 of their 60 died that is 20% and they kept the food on the shelves till they did more test. I was so attached to Angel and nothing they could do could make me feel better over losing her, i cannot have children and she was my constant companion, always in my lap. I had a dogster page before she died and now has became her memorial site, you can see it at http://www.dogster.com/dogs/405986

Kittyboy's Story

2007-03-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Pet's Name: Kittyboy
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Location: Not Given
Pet's Story:

I was driving on an old country road and my headlights happened upon a mass of orange fur. Being the animal lover that I am I just had to stop. There huddled on the side of a dark lonely road was an orange kitten about 6 weeks old. I walked slowly towards him in hopes that he had not been hit by a car or hurt by the wild animals that surround the farms right outside of our town. When I touched him, he looked straight in my eyes and I knew the horror he was feeling. I asked him in a soft voice if it was ok that I give him a home and all the love he could ever need. At that moment he got up and rubbed his head into my bent knee. I fell in love in an instant and after getting him into my car, I promised him a happy home, lots of love and affection, good food and a long life. I told him he would be named kitty boy because he looked like a baby. I knew I had made the right decision when he layed on my lap during the drive back down that dark country road.

Five years had passed and boy what a mighty brute he had become. He was the prettiest fellow I had ever seen and the love we had was not of this world. At home he had been a big brother to a shih'tzu named Murphy, licking him clean every chance he could. His favorite place was on my dresser staring into a tank full of fish. Through those years I watched as he grew and felt awesome at how relaxed and happy he was. I know I saved this kitty boys life. On February 23rd 2007 I fed him now what I know was a bowl of tainted food. Within 3 days he went from the promises of a long happy life to a death that was way too fast. I didn't even have time to get him to the vet. Two weeks had passed since he had died and left me with the worst ache a person could feel and there on the news was the recall of tainted food. I tried not to think that there was a chance he died because of this bad food. I quickly found my last 'Special Kitty pouch" purchases and compared them to what was recalled and then I lost it. It was me who unintentionally fed him a bowl of death..I sit and wonder did kitty boy know, did I know that I not only was going to be the one to rescue him but I was also the one who caused him to die.. His memory and life will remain with me forever. To those who are grieving, GOD hears our sorrow. Thanks alot.

Paula montgomery forever mother to Kitty boy (2002-2007)

Silver's Story

2007-03-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

Pet Name: Silver
Breed: Persian
Location: Not Given
Pets Story:

I learned of the tainted food after his death. As you can see he was extremely beautiful, and knew it, but also was very loving. I will miss him very much, and never be able to replace him. This kitty followed me all over the place, and worried about me. I would find him outside a neighbors home waiting to walk me home crying all the time. He did not want me too far from him.

He ate Special Kitty pouches of tuna flavored cat food purchased at Walmart for over a year. I hope I can find where to display his photograph. He was a beautiful and loving kitty and will always be remembered as my favorite.

Taken March 8, 2007