Avoid Hills m/d dry made in USA: part of Menu foods contamination

[Millys Mum]

I had another email from PETA and they reckon its not just the wheat gluten thats contaminated, and that theres possible too much vitamin d being put in the foods.
I think Gillian must be laughing as raw meat doesnt have these problems!

Alarmingly, it appears that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not have discovered the real source of contamination in the recalled Menu Foods items that have caused illnesses and deaths in countless cats and dogs.

A mounting number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food that did not contain wheat gluten strongly suggest that another ingredient is causing this crisis. Evidence from reputable laboratories indicates that an excessive amount of vitamin D in pet food—among other possibilities—may be to blame. Vitamin D overdoses produce symptoms similar to those seen in animals who recently have become sick or died after consuming only dry foods.

This week we have asked the FDA to refocus its investigations beyond wheat gluten and consider other possible contaminants. For the safety of all our beloved companion animals, we must not let the FDA sweep this issue under the rug—as the agency has done so often before with animal and human health issues. We need to ensure that all available pet food is 100 percent safe for dogs and cats.

PETA has also called on FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to resign over the agency's mishandling of the pet food crisis. It is infuriating—and so very sad—that cherished animals are dying horrible deaths because of a callous and essentially unregulated pet food industry. By not exercising its mandate and siding with Menu Foods and companies like Iams, the FDA has forfeited the public trust—to the detriment of companion animals.

We will continue to pressure corporate and government officials to get to the real source of what is making animals sick and to ensure that all available pet foods are safe. I will update you as this situation evolves. Please also visit PETA.org, which is regularly updated with late-breaking and helpful information about this and other issues.

Thank you for your attention and your help.

[swampmaxmum]

Information on this is coming out of the big companies so slowly that it's a big worry for all cat owners: this is from today. Can we hope that no more products are going to be issued with product warnings?!  Sorry I am rushing, saw this but couldn't find the original Menu threat forum thread.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Single Product: Prescription Diet™ Feline m/d™ Dry Food, Manufactured in the USA .

Hill’s Prescription Diet™m/d™Feline dry food manufactured and sold in Europe is not affected by this recall and can continue to be fed with full confidence.

In accordance with its over-riding commitment to pet health and well-being, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. has voluntarily recalled Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the US and export markets. Hill's has taken this precautionary action because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this food was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods. Tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show low levels of a foreign substance.

Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food manufactured and sold in Europe does not contain wheat gluten meal.

No other dry or canned Hill’s Pet Nutrition foods sold in Europe contain wheat gluten meal.

You should note, however, that Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d, k/d and i/d Feline pouches made in Australia and sold in Europe do contain wheat gluten meal but are not affected by the recall and can also continue to be fed with full confidence. The wheat gluten meal used in these foods is sourced locally in Australia and not from the company that supplied wheat gluten meal to Menu Foods in the USA .

Our customers can therefore be reassured that all Hill’s products can be fed with continued confidence in terms of both their quality and nutritional excellence.