Fwd: [] CNN has picked up the dog food story.

[Guest guest]

snk1955@... wrote:

From: snk1955@...

Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 11:37:14 EST

Subject: [] CNN has picked up the dog food story.

(http://www.cnn.com/US)

23 dogs killed by toxic dog food

Dog food sold in 23 states

Friday, December 30, 2005; Posted: 9:18 p.m. EST (02:18 GMT)

Digger, a 10-year-old golden retriever, is hooked up to an IV after eating a

batch of the contaminated dog food.

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WHERE THE FOOD WAS SOLD

Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, land,

Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee,

West Virginia, Vermont, and Virginia.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -- Contaminated dog food which was sold in 23 states

killed nearly two dozen dogs and sickened 18 more, the Food and Drug

Administration said Friday.

The deaths and illnesses sparked an FDA investigation into the pet food made

by the Diamond Pet Food Company at its Gaston, South Carolina, manufacturing

plant. The FDA said so far 23 animal deaths have been linked to the pet

food.

The company, based in Meta, Missouri, issued a recall of 19 varieties of dog

and cat food on December 21 because some of the pet food made at the Gaston

facility was discovered to contain aflatoxin.

Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring chemical that comes from a fungus sometimes

found on corn and other crops, can cause severe liver damage. Aflatoxin

poisoning can cause sluggishness, a lack of appetite and in severe cases severe

vomiting, fever and jaundice.

The recalled pet food was sold in 23 states under the brand names Diamond,

Country Value and Professional, and bears the date codes of March 1, 2007,

through June 11, 2007. Consumers are asked to immediately stop using the

product.

Last week, Tony Caver, the state veterinarian in South Carolina, said that

state has five presumed cases linked to aflatoxin, including three fatalities.

Seven dogs from the Rochester, New York, area were being treated at Cornell

University Hospital for Animals for liver disease and failure after eating

contaminated food, said university spokeswoman Sabina Lee. An area veterinarian

discovered the link after three dogs died in the area, she said.

In a December 20 press release, the company said it had notified

distributors to hold up the further sale of Diamond pet food that had used

corn. The

next day it ordered the recall.

" To ensure we got all the affected product or potential to be affected, we

cast a very wide net with the recall, " Diamond spokesman Jim Fallon said

Friday. He said the company is conducting tests and has set up a consumer

information center, open seven days a week, to handle consumer questions.

" We are working with customers and their vets to confirm a link between the

pet food and the pet's illnesses, " he said. " Our whole focus is saving pets'

lives and doing the right thing. "

The company said it was analyzing retained samples of all of the affected

pet food products in Gaston in an attempt to isolate specific lot numbers that

were impacted and provide the information to distributors, retailers and

customers.

According to the company, the pet food was distributed to stores in Alabama,

Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, land,

Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

North

Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, West

Virginia, Vermont, and Virginia.

The FDA said some of the recalled product had been exported to at least 29

countries, including several in the European Union. Those countries have been

notified, the agency said.

Copyright 2005 The _Associated Press_

(http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP) . All rights reserved.This

material may not be published, broadcast,

rewritten, or redistributed.