56 minutes ago: Rat poison found in pet food

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Rat poison found in samples of Menu Foods product, N.Y. officials say

David Friend
Canadian Press

Friday, March 23, 2007


TORONTO (CP) - A toxic chemical used to kill rats and treat cancer has been found in pet food produced by Mississauga, Ont.-based Menu Foods that has been blamed for the mysterious deaths of family pets in the United States and Canada.

Traces of aminopterin were found in tests of food suspected of causing kidney failure in cats and dogs, New York state officials said Friday.

Last week, Menu Foods (TSX:MEW.UN) issued a massive recall of its products on reports that at least 10 animals had died after eating wet pet food. That recall is expected to cost the publicly traded firm an estimated $40 million.

Officials said they didn't know how poison got into the pet food and so far there are no criminal investigations into the pet deaths. Aminopterin is not registered for killing rodents in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, though it is used as a cancer drug.

Scientists from the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory said aminopterin was found in two of three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods.

State agriculture commissioner Patrick Hooker said tests are now being conducted on individual materials in the pet food.

"This is a long step in a process that will lead us to know what has happened and how it has happened," Hooker said.

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© The Canadian Press 2007

If we've relaxed standards in people food ,doesn't it make sense that dogs and cats are screwed as well?

....Now rat poison in pet food could be deliberate, but I for one would be very skeptical about some lone nut dog and cat hater committing this act or some disgruntled employee doing such a thing just to get back at a supervisor.

It could be sabotage. Or it could also be lack supervision and human error as the result of dumping rat poison into the food mixture thinking it was wheat flour.

they make the food-not an unusual problem-and just got too generous with the poison, attempting to control the rat and mouse population.