Important Alert! Contaminated Pet Food Recall

[acushdogsmom]

Important! Contaminated Pet food alert!

From the Diamond Pet Food Company's website: http://www.diamondpet.com

Due to the discovery of aflatoxin, Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall of certain pet food products manufactured in our Gaston, S.C. facility and distributed to states in the eastern U.S.

If you suspect your pet has symptoms associated with aflatoxin, please consult your veterinarian immediately.

We are experiencing an exceptionally high rate of emails and telephone calls in response to the recall. To help answer many of your questions, please review the information below. We appreciate your understanding and pledge to provide updated information on a timely basis.

What symptoms should I look for from my pet?

Symptoms of illness will include jaundice combined with lack of appetite, depression, bloody stools, and excessive bleeding.

What should I do if my pet consumed recalled products and has any of the symptoms?

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.

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. Your retailer will ensure the product is returned to Diamond Pet Food for proper analysis and disposal.

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 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 Reduced Fat Chicken & Rice Dog Food
Professional Chicken & Rice Adult Dog Food
Professional Puppy Food
Professional Large-Breed Puppy Food
Professional Reduced Fat Cat Food
Professional Adult Cat Food

Are any Gaston Facility Pet Foods Safe?

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 Kirkland Signature products.
Every Premium Edge product.
The complete Chicken Soup product line.
Diamond Lamb and Rice Adult
Diamond Large Breed Adult 60+
Diamond Large Breed Puppy
Diamond Senior 8+
Diamond Kitten
Professional Lamb and Rice

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 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.

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 used as ingredients in pet foods. The fungus develops on crops during years with severe high temperature stress and drought.For news releases and updates, please check here:

http://www.diamondpet.com/DiamondPet/recall/index.php

[acushdogsmom]

Two related articles:

Cornell News Service - related article: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/articles/diamondPetFoods.htm

Aflatoxicosis Associated with Feeding Diamond Pet Food/Testing and Treatment Recommendations for Veterinarians: http://www.mendonvillageanimalhospital.com/whatsnew.html

1. Advise clients to discontinue feeding of Diamond foods. Have them record production codes and date codes from food bags, if available. Contaminated lot numbers are available on the Diamond website (www.Diamondpet.com). Owners should keep food bags and food samples for possible further testing. They should feed a good quality, non-protein restricted diet.

2.Affected pets may have no clinical signs initially, so any exposed animals should be evaluated. Owners may report that their dogs have been refusing to eat the food since they opened the new bag. Clinical signs are vague and include lethargy, inappetence, and vomiting. Also look for signs of jaundice and bleeding.

3. Screening lab work should minimally include a chemistry profile and CBC, even in asymptomatic dogs. Look especially for low cholesterol, high bilirubin, and high ALT. Aflatoxins interrupt protein transcription at the DNA level and so may invalidate ALT alone as a true indicator of liver cell injury. Pre and post bile acids are recommended in dogs that are not already icteric as the best way to evaluate the extent of liver damage. Many affected dogs also have clotting abnormalities, so it is also recommended to check coagulation times.

4. The toxin may continue to impact the liver for up to 60 days. Oral hepatoprotectants are recommended for dogs that are not vomiting.

Vitamin E: alpha tocopherol 10 IU/kg PO SID

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

Milk Thistle (silymarin or silibinin)

Note: The proven bioavailability and biologic effects of the Nutramax Laboratories Inc., SAMe product (Denosyl-SD4) and their new polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine-silibinin product (Marin(TM)) may make these preferred therapeutic agents. Use package dosing directions.

5. In dogs that show clotting abnormalities administer Vitamin K 0.5-1.5 mg/kg SC or PO q 12 hours. Recheck clotting times after 3-4 doses.

6. In vomiting dogs, use N-Acetylcysteine 140mg/kg loading dose IV, then 70 mg/kg q 6 hours until SAMe can be given orally. When N-Acetylcysteine is administered IV it is recommended to use a syringe filter (acrodysc syringe filter, 0.2 micrometers, HT tuffryn membrane, made by Pall Life Sciences).

7. In critical cases plasma transfusions may be indicated.

8. No cats have yet been identified with disease, but Diamond reports that cat foods have also been contaminated. Similar recommendations are likely to be appropriate, but please contact Mendon Village Animal Hospital or Dr. Sharon Center (sac6@cornell.edu) at Cornell if you see any cases.

9. Prognosis at this point in mildly affected dogs with treatment seems to be fair to good. Cornell can still accept more animals for treatment if owners want them referred.

And two more articles:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051223/NEWS01/512230329/1002

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/12/22/dog.deaths/

[acushdogsmom]

Another useful link with current information and updates relating to the Diamond Pet Food contamination:

http://www.diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/news.asp