Feline pancytopenia deaths linked to pet food recall reaches at least 335

I feel that we should remember the quiet disaster that is befalling many households at the moment. You might have read about the rare feline disease called feline pancytopenia affecting many cats in the UK. It is believed that this bone marrow disease has been caused by a range of cat food products manufactured at the same facility. 

Sushi died of pancytopenia after eating Pets at Home AVA dry cat food. She was actually euthanized at the vets. Photo: Mrs Kenny.

But the point of this short post is to report that the Royal Veterinary College has issued a warning about the surge in cat deaths reaching 335 at the date of this post. In all 528 cats have contracted the disease. These are the cases that the college are aware of but there may be more. In fact, they say that this information probably represents only a percentage of cases because many of the sick cats may not be taken to a veterinary practice and therefore diagnosed by a veterinarian.

The information has not been verified and many UK vets are not actively reporting to the Royal Veterinary College at this time.

The investigation so far as reported by the college is that there appears to be no link with common feline infectious diseases, no link with common toxins, and no link with deficiencies or excesses in vitamins or minerals.

Investigations are still taking place including analysis by the college of cat food involved in the product recall. If you not read about this then please click on this link to go to a list of the products believed to be affected.

Associated: Fears that Pets at Home’s AVA cat food killed this cat

It is believed that feline pancytopenia in this instance has been caused by mycotoxins which are toxic compounds that are naturally produced by different types of fungi. They grow on a variety of different crops. Cat food does contain cereal to pad it out and it appears that these mycotoxins on the cereal have found their way into the commercially prepared cat food.

There has been a reduction in the number of reported cases. The peak number of cases reported occurred in mid-June of this year (2021). Seven cases were reported on July 12.

If you think your cat has been made ill by this cat food then you should of course contact your veterinarian immediately to ask for a blood test to look at the levels of red and white blood cells and platelets in your cat's blood. These blood cells decrease in number when a cat has contracted pancytopenia. Bone marrow produce these cells.

Four Other Companies Recall Pet Food

We have heard about the Diamond Pet Food recall and its subsequent expansion. The company's name is Diamond Pet Food Processors of SC, LLC. The place where the contamination took place was at their facility in Atlanta: Gaston, SC 29053. The facility was inspected by the FDA on 12th April 2012 and several health problems were reported in three observations such as, "failure to maintain equipment, containers and utensils used to convey, hold and store food in a manner that protects against contamination".

This is the company's page on their recall.

Salmonella was found in bags of pet food. In one case the open bag of pet food at the home of a person who had salmonella poisoning. There were other cases where testing on the pet food revealed salmonella bacteria.

At least four other pet food manufacturing businesses manufacture their products at the same facility or at least some of their products at this facility. Diamond Pet Food Processors manufacture it for them. That surprises me a little. Is this pet food different or the same as Diamond Pet Food but just repackaged to look different? No idea.

"Several other companies with products manufactured at the Gaston, S.C. facility have issued voluntary recalls" (FDA). These are:

• Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance
• Apex Pet Foods
• Canidae, Wellpet LLC
• Solid Gold Health Products for Pets

The links go to the relevant FDA pages. These businesses are clearly just taking precautions. For instance with respect to Van Patten's Natural Balance there appear to have been no reported cases of illness but that was in May and a check is advisable as we are now into June and things might have changed.

I think, however, people need to know that Diamond manufacture for other companies in the same facility and this begs the question: how different is their pet food? Dry pet food is kibble which can shaped and coloured at will.

This website says that we should avoid Diamond Pet Foods because of long standing quality control issues.

People Get Salmonella Poisoning From Contaminated Pet Food

I had not fully realised this but there is a risk that people who are feeding their cats or dogs pet food that is believed to be contaminated with salmonella, can become infected and poisoned by the salmonella bacteria themselves. The risk is not high, it seems, and precautionary measures can be taken.

In fact, regarding the last pet food recall that I referred to on this site, it is reported that although there have been no cases of dogs showing symptoms of a salmonella infection, there have been 16 cases of humans being infected across nine US states and Canada [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)].

Salmonella is a type of bacteria and salmonella infections are zoonotic. This means the infection can be transmitted from animal to human and vice versa.

In respect of the current dry dog food recall (Diamond Pet Foods), a person can become infected if their hands have come into contact with the contaminated product and their hands are subsequently used to handle human food before being thoroughly washed. The same applies to surfaces exposed to the product.

The symptoms can be quite nasty:  diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever, nausea, vomiting. Children under 5 years of age are at a higher risk.

There is also an extension of the original Diamond Pet Food recall which people probably already know about. In case it has been overlooked, this page of the FDA website deals with it. It concerns Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb and Rice Formula 6 pound & 18 pound bags and samples that were manufactured on 26th August 2011.

Purina Pet Treats Made In China Killing Dogs

There are several reasons I chose to write about Purina® pet treats made in China killing dogs. First of all, many of us cat lovers also have dogs. And if we have dogs, there's a chance our cats may get a hold of one of these treats.

Photo by Nestlé (on Flickr)

The products being investigated by the FDA are Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch dog treats. Both products are made in China for the Nestle Purina® company. The FDA has now logged more than 900 complaints from owners whose dogs have gotten sick or died after eating these treats. Most were diagnosed with kidney failure.

Dog owners should be warned as these products haven't undergone an official recall and are still on the shelves at retailers across America. Readers, keep in mind that just because a product is available for sale it doesn't mean it's safe!

Another reason I'm writing on this issue as it brings to mind an article I wrote last year about Purina One® cat food. Its at http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/potential-purina-one-cat-food-problem.html. While no mandatory recall has been made, comments continue to trickle in on this article from cat owners whose cats have become ill or died after eating Purina® products.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and fever. This leads to kidney failure and death for the dog or cat eating the Purina® product.

This has been going on for several years. The same holds true with Purina Beneful Dog Food. Symptoms from eating the tainted dog food (it sometimes has a mold like growth on it) are glazed eyes, weakness, white gums, lack of appetite and loss of control of bodily functions. This information has been verified by on Snopes.com.

Although the symptoms are totally different for the Purina One® cat food than for the Purina dog foods, Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch dog treats, I would use caution before feeding any Purina products.

Purina has stated they consider the safety of their dog and cat foods as their top priority, yet the cases continue to mount and neither the FDA nor Nestle Purina is doing much about it other than taking down information and testing samples. I'm not sure how many deaths it will take before a recall is issued. If it's your pet, then it's one to many.

Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, recently blasted the head of the FDA over the situation back in April of 2012. Brown criticized Dr. Margaret Hamburg at a Senate Appropriations hearing over the concern Chinese made treats were tainted yet allowed to remain on store shelves.

Until the FDA has found the cause as to why so many pets are dying, dog and cat owners both need to be vigilant about the food they feed their pets, as well as any treats. If you plan on changing pet food brands, do a little Internet research and be sure there are no health concerns linked with the food you plan to feed your pet.

If any of you have experienced any health problems with any brand of pet food or any treats, please be kind enough to give everyone a first hand account of your experience. You could be saving a life.