Pet owners across Colorado are reporting that the pet food at the center of an unprecedented international recall has killed 25 dogs and cats in the state so far and sickened at least 60 other pets.

Almost all of those reports, however, have come from pet owners rather than veterinarians.

And officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Denver - who compiled the numbers - have not yet confirmed if any of the deaths or illnesses reported to them were caused by the food.

"The message we want to get out there is, there's definitely a correlation" between the recalled pet food and the sick and dying pets, said Dr. Michele Smith, a veterinarian at 29th Avenue Animal Hospital in Stapleton.

"Please don't feed them that food," she said. "But also, we don't want people to panic. I think the worst of it is over."

The FDA announced a recall of "cuts and gravy" pet foods made by Menu Foods Inc., a private label pet food manufacturer based in Canada. The recall, which involves 85 different brands, including Eukanuba and Iams, was issued after a dog and nine cats reportedly died of kidney failure after eating the affected food.

Since then, Colorado grocery stores have practically emptied their pet food aisles, and veterinarians have spent long days fielding calls from worried pet owners.

"We've been getting phone calls every three minutes, and I've talked to a dozen people myself about the food recall," said Dr. Mike Herman, a veterinarian at Belcaro Animal Clinic.

He said that most people have called to find out what symptoms of renal failure to watch for, and how long it would take for the symptoms to show after they stopped feeding their pet the recalled food.

Herman said that it usually takes about a week of eating contaminated food before the affected animal shows any symptoms, which include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.

"The confusing thing is what's causing the problem," he said. "So, everyone is very nervous about it."

Menu Foods officials said they believe wheat gluten from a new supplier may have been responsible. The recall covers "cuts and gravy" style food sold from Dec. 3 to March 6.

Devin Koontz, spokesman for the FDA in Denver, said that while grains, if not stored properly, have the potential to develop toxins, there could be other things that could cause renal failure in animals.

"If you're sick enough, your kidney shuts down, but a lot of things can cause that," he said. "Even if it (the food) is what is killing the pets, it doesn't get us very far in identifying the causative agent."

Koontz said there have been pet food recalls in the past when no specific contaminant was identified.

Concerned owners can have their pets take a simple blood test to see if they're having kidney problems. The test results are usually known in 15-20 minutes.

Follow-up for pet owners

To check if your pet food is among the type or brands being recalled, call this number: 1-866-895-2708 or check this Website: www.menufoods.com/recall

The FDA is doing a study to see how effective the Menu Foods pet food recall is working. Information should be e-mailed to Donald Bean, the FDA consumer complaint coordinator in Colorado at Donald.Bean @fda.hhs.gov or by calling him at 303-236-3044. E-mails are preferred.

The FDA is asking owners who suspect their pets have gotten sick or died as the result of eating the affected products to submit the following information:

• Species, breed, age and approximate weight of the animal

• Dates and times last fed this food

• How much of the suspect food was consumed?

• Date/time of onset of illness

• What symptoms are observed?

• Was animal treated by veterinarian? If yes, what was the diagnosis?

• What is the current condition of this pet?

• Did the pet have a pre-existing condition?

Owners are also asked to provide contact information (e-mail and/or telephone) so that the FDA can follow up.

bargec@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5059 Staff writer Tillie Fong contributed to this report.

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