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June 12, 2007

Pet Food News - More Details on the Acetaminophen Scare

This news is a week old, but it's not my fault. When you live with a guy who does molecular biology, the last thing you suspect is that he can't spell the name of a common drug.

Anyway, the story of the acetaminophen contamination scare begins here: ExperTox Inc, a toxicology lab in Texas, has been testing pet food samples for toxins, particularly melamine and cyanuric acid. Acetaminophen was found in several samples, including one submitted by a dog food company.

For a dog, acetaminophen carries a risk. For a cat, it's pure poison. The problem is, at this point we know very little. A man in Port Townsend, WA, submitted a sample of Pet Pride cat food to the lab because he believes it killed one of his cats. Acetaminophen and cyanuric acid were found in the sample; Pet Pride, however, is a Menu Foods product. We have no specific facts about any other samples except an unknown dog food, and the concentration in the dog food sample is not enough to be fatal to a dog. If you have animals of both types, just be sure the cat doesn't borrow a snack from the dog dish.

So, this incident is a little less scary now that I have more facts, but until we know more, keep an eye on your cats. Acetaminophen in a cat damages the red blood cells, making it difficult for us to get enough oxygen. If your cat appears unusually lethargic (for example, if he doesn't run into the kitchen when he hears the cheese drawer opening), take no chances.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

# At Tue 2:29 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Pet Food News | Tags: acetaminophen cats cyanuric acid ExperTox health risks Menu Foods pet food Pet Pride

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Posted by: Suma valluru at June 13, 2007 2:41 AM

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