People love their pets. They pamper them, talk to them and frequently consider them part of the family.
That bond with our pets explains why the recent poisoning deaths of at least 15 cats and one dog and the sickening of untold numbers of others from eating tainted pet food has resonated throughout the country.
Investigators are scrambling to pinpoint how and why pets began suffering kidney failure after eating pet food brands containing a protein filler made by Menu Foods of Canada.
Assuredly, regulators will look to ascribe blame, and perhaps they’ll propose rules to guard against such tragedies in the future. But in the end, market forces may deliver the biggest punishment to Menu Foods.
The Globe and Mail of Canada reported CFO Mark Wiens said the recall of 60 million containers of “cuts and gravy” style food would cost the company $30 million to $40 million. Last week the company, already struggling financially according to news reports, suffered dramatic losses on the Toronto Stock Exchange, though it later rebounded somewhat. Menu Foods representatives said the company will take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of ingesting tainted food. That’s the right thing to do, but it will increase financial pressure on the company.
Early reports suggest Menu Foods’ products included Chinese wheat gluten contaminated by rat poison. The protein filler is used in more than 90 brands of pet food.
The culprit is thought to be aminopterin, a cancer drug that was once used to induce abortions in the U.S. and still is used to kill rats in other countries. Exactly how the rat poison got into the food is not yet known, but investigators are working hard to piece together details.
Meanwhile, heart-rending photographs of ailing pets hooked up to IVs have left many of us checking to see if we have any of the implicated food in the cupboard.
And while the confirmed numbers of pet deaths and illnesses still are relatively low, those involved in investigating the problem and treating the animals believe the scope of the poisonings will broaden significantly as reports are compiled.
It’s a shame that unsuspecting pet owners found themselves dealing with such needless animal loss and illness. Perhaps the situation will demonstrate to pet food companies, in graphic terms, why they should do the best possible job of policing their products.
