Skittish Pet Owners Seeking Organic Food for Pets
The recent tainted pet food scare, which resulted in the deaths of several cats and dogs and the removal of pet food from store shelves, has many people worried about their pets' health. So, many pet owners are turning to alternative pet foods that are healthful and organic, reports News 11's Jennifer Boresz.
In fact, since the recall, sales of natural pet foods at Claudia's Natural Food Market have increased. Many pet owners say what their pets eat is just as important as what they eat.
"I think it stems back to my diet. I'm eating more organically, and I've lost a lot of weight: 27 pounds over the past three months. I'm doing a lot better with a healthy diet, and learning about the pesticides that are on everything," said K.C. Saint John, pet owner.
All the dog and cat food found at Claudia's is made without those pesticides, hormones and fillers.
The head of the New York State Department of Agriculture says tests found rat poison in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs in the US. At a news conference in Albany, State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said the toxin has been identified as aminopterin.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the substance is used to kill rats in some countries but isn't registered for that use in the United States. Officials aren't saying how they believe the poison got into the pet food.
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. Tainted brands included Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
One pet owner told News 11 that she'd been using one of the products on the recall list -- before it was recalled. Her dog suffered all of the symptoms noted and died in October, two months before the recall started.
"It just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. Well, could it be possible that's what happened to our dog?" Marie Swope asked in a story first broadcast earlier this week. Her dog, Thunder, had eaten Natural Choice Chicken and Rice Chunks in Gravy, now on the recall list.
"I don't know if the puppy succumbing in October, if any of those foods had been fed if that goes that far back," said Dr. Bob Esplin, a veterinarian with the Sylvania Veterinary Hospital, which has been receiving numerous calls from concerned pet owners.
Dr. Esplin urges pet owners to check labels and, if there's any unusual behavior, to see a vet. "If we pay good attention to our pets, and they're acting healthy, they probably are healthy and if you want to be sure, you need blood and urine tests to be sure that everything is all right," Dr. Esplin said.