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Contaminated Pet Food Proves Fatal -
Diamond Pet Food Recalled
May 10, 2006
One of the
nation's largest dog food producers has recalled
some of its products in
22 states after receiving reports that they caused
death and illness, a company executive
said Thursday.
In a letter to thousands of its suppliers,
Diamond Pet Food announced it found aflatoxin
in products
made at its Gaston, South Carolina, plant, said Chief Operating
Officer
Mark Brinkmann.
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring substance
produced by fungi that grow on grains, including corn.
Humidity, high temperatures, or drought are some of the conditions that
contribute to
aflatoxin
growth on crops. Aflatoxin is toxic and can cause severe liver damage
in animals.
Brinkmann said he wasn't sure how many animals
fell ill from the toxin, but the 22 states'
veterinarian's offices reported a total of 17 deaths and 24 illnesses believed
linked to the
tainted
pet food.
Products made at the Gaston facility are
shipped to Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia,
Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire,
New Jersey,
New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee,
West Virginia, Vermont
and Virginia.
Five cat food products and 14 dog food products
were recalled. Products manufactured
at the
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
A golden retriever being treated in Ithaca,
New York, after eating the tainted food.
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Pet guardians whose animal may have consumed a
Diamond brand pet food product are
urged to
contact their veterinarian if their pet exhibits any of the following
symptoms, which may
indicate
aflatoxin consumption:
- Sluggishness;
- Loss of appetite;
- Jaundice (yellow whites of the eyes, gums,
belly or areas where hair is very thin);
- Severe, persistent vomiting combined with
bloody diarrhea;
- Discolored urine;
- Fever
Since other illnesses can cause the same
symptoms, it is important for a veterinarian to check
any suspected cases, experts said.
Brinkmann said the company was alerted to the
problem last Friday by a veterinarian in New York
state, who said he had seen three dogs that were exhibiting symptoms associated
with liver disease.
"They were all three on one of our foods,"
Brinkmann said.
The company issued the recall Wednesday for
foods containing corn produced at the South Carolina
plant between September 1 and December 10.
The suspect items are marked with "best by"
date codes of between March 1 and June 10, 2007.
They contain an 11th or 12th digit, "G," signifying the Gaston facility.
The plant routinely takes samples of each half
hour of production and is sending those
samples to
laboratories as part of an investigation into how the contamination
occurred, Brinkmann said.
He
urged consumers to check any product they
may have before feeding it to their pets.
Diamond Pet Food, a family-owned company, is
based in Meta, Missouri, outside Jefferson City.
Customers can receive more information about the recall by calling the Diamond
Pet Foods
Customer Information Center toll free at 1-866-214-6945. The Information center
is open seven
days a week from 8 a.m. to midnight EST.
According to Cornell University scientists, at
least 100 dogs died because of the tainted food
in the last few weeks and many pet owners were not aware of the recall.
 What's Really In Pet Food?
An API
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Read entire article >>
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