Animal death reports did not initially trigger 'alarm bells': pet-food CEO
March 21, 2007
TORONTO (CP) - A frantic search to identify precisely what killed 14 pets continued Wednesday as the head of the company involved in one of largest consumer-product recalls in North American history said initial illness reports could not immediately be tied to their food.
As angry pet owners questioned why it took Menu Foods based near Toronto several weeks to issue the recall, CEO Paul Henderson said the company took action as soon as it realized there was a problem.
The first reports of illnesses and deaths due to kidney failure came in late February through toll-free customer lines, Henderson told The Canadian Press in an exclusive interview.
It's "an unfortunate reality" that animals die of various causes, Henderson said, but the company, which ships millions of cans and pouches of wet pet food each week, did consult the veterinarians responsible for the care of those pets.
"They identified that those particular animals were either outdoor cats or animals that may have gotten into the garage, the implication being that they may have gotten into something that they shouldn't have and that was the cause of their death," he said.
It was only later during routine taste tests the company was notified that some of the animals had become sick from the "cuts-and-gravy" style food, he said.
"It wasn't until the feeding studies that happened in the beginning of the second week of March that the issues essentially triggered alarm bells within the company and we began an investigation."
That investigation prompted a recall last Friday that the company estimates will cost it as much as $40 million.
By then, one dog and 13 cats were believed to have died - eight from the taste tests and six among pet owners.
Henderson refused to comment on reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the company knew as early as Feb. 20 that there were issues with its products.
Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's top veterinarian, suggested this week the fatality rate among the pets used in the taste tests was about one in six. Henderson refused comment on what that may mean for the overall number of deaths.
A B.C. veterinary clinic said Wednesday it may have cases of pets showing symptoms of kidney failure related to the recall.
"We do have some patients in the hospital right now that we suspect have been affected by the food that was tainted," said Dr. Diane McKelvey of the Kamloops Veterinary Clinic.
"The patients are in kidney failure, which basically is a sign that's been seen in all the patients across North America."
Despite engaging "top North American experts" and an investigation by the FDA, Henderson insisted there was no obvious cause of the animal illnesses.
"All the tests that we have done to date have indicated that there is nothing wrong with the product," Henderson said.
The illnesses coincided with the introduction of "an ingredient" from a new supplier, but Henderson refused to identify it.
The recall affects about 60 million cans and pouches of pet food manufactured at the Menu Foods plant in Emporia, Kan., between Dec. 3 and March 6 and sold under 91 brand names such as Iams and through retailers including Safeway, Wal-Mart and PetSmart.
A hotline set up to deal with concerns was swamped over the weekend with about 47,000 consumer calls. That prompted Menu to engage one of the largest product-recall call-centres in North America to handle the volume.
That call-centre has now fielded a record number of calls, Henderson said .
While the initial complaints all came from the United States, Canadian cases are also beginning to surface.
"Our cat has been ill all week," said Michelle Henderson of Whitby, Ont., east of Toronto.
"She's been eating Special Kitty food that I purchased at Wal-Mart last week (and) we finally made the connection between her health and her food. What do we do now?"
The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association issued a statement Wednesday urging pet owners to check pet food labels and monitor their cats and dogs for signs of acute renal failure.
At least one lawsuit has already been filed in Chicago, and the recall has also sparked talk of a class-action suit.
"Our hearts go out to all of the pet owners across North America for any of their losses and certainly for any of the worry that this event has caused," Henderson said.
"We're also grateful for them for their patience as we hunt down and try and discover what the root cause of the problem is."
I have 3 of my own and have had cats all my life and understand how devastating it is when you lose one.