Rat poison has been found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs but researchers still don't know how the toxin got into the food, New York's agriculture commissioner said Friday.
Pet Food Tainted By Rat Poison
The toxin was identified as aminopterin, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said in a statement.
Aminopterin is used to kill rats in some countries but is not registered for that use in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The substance was found at a level of at least 40 parts per million in tested cat food samples, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Testing was done at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory.
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"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.
The lab tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods, the manufacturer that produced all the recalled food. Aminopterin was found in two samples. The lab has not tested any dog food.
Hooker said the lab would be testing individual components of the pet food.
Aminopterin inhibits the growth of malignant cells and is used as a cancer drug. It also suppresses the immune system. In high doses, the chemical is highly toxic.
The officials would not speculate how aminopterin got into the pet food, saying that question was outside the scope of the food laboratory's investigation.
"This is the first step in perhaps a long trail," Smith said.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focusing on wheat gluten in the food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins, the FDA said.
State and FBI officials said they knew of no criminal investigations in the case.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names.
There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
Aminopterin causes kidney failure in dogs and cats, Smith said. He said anecdotal evidence including calls from veterinarians suggests more than 16 pets have died from the tainted food.
Menu Foods last week recalled "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
Menu Foods is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund of Streetsville. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.
The company's chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying.
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Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
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Menu Foods planned a press conference for later Friday, a spokesman said.
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case.
"I don't know where we'll go from here," he said.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.
New York State is home to two laboratories that are part of federal emergency lab networks, created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals and food supply safe.
The New York State Food Laboratory is part of the Federal Food Emergency Response Network and is capable of running a number of toxin tests on food, including the test that identified aminopterin.
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