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Problems With Orijen Cat Food-Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...section=justin
ABC News-Australia November 24, 2008
A Sydney vet says an imported pet food might be the cause of a chronic illness and the death of several cats.
The Canadian Orijen brand of cat food has been withdrawn from stores in the past three weeks after vets and cat owners raised concerns about it.
Cat neurologist Dr Georgina Child says she knows of about 20 cats that developed weak limbs after they had eaten the food.
Some of the cats developed paralysis and had to be put down.
Dr Child says the Canadian manufacturers are investigating why only the Australian imported product has caused problems.
"At this point, one of the things that they're working on is that there may be a problem with chemicals getting into the food from the packaging somewhere in transit," she said.
But she says there is not a clear time link between the eating the food and developing the symptoms.
"What's troubling about this is that many of these cats have been eating this food for quite some period of time before they actually develop any abnormalities at all," she said.
"Even cats that have stopped eating the food may then go on to develop the signs several weeks or even 12 months later."
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...375062012.html
Cat deaths linked to pet food
Sydney Morning Herald November 24, 2008
UNEXPLAINED chronic illness and death among Sydney cats has been linked to a gourmet imported pet food withdrawn from stores over the past three weeks.
A cat neurologist, Georgina Child, has put down five cats over the past week and treated or consulted with other vets about more than a dozen others suffering from paralysis.
Dr Child, who is based at the University of Sydney's veterinary hospital and the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in North Ryde, said the only factor that linked all the cats was a specialist pet food called Orijen, which is imported through a Canadian company, Champion Petfoods.
"There is a highly suspicious link because this is an uncommon expensive food in this country at the moment, and not sold in supermarkets," Dr Child said. "But all tests that have been done so far haven't given us an answer."
First symptoms included wobbliness or weakness in the animal's hind legs, which could then progress to the front limbs. The condition did not appear to be infectious, Dr Child said, nor typical of a nutritional deficiency.
"Most worrying is that the cats showed no signs [of illness] while on the food," she said. "It seems to be happening weeks or even months later."
The marketing manager of Champion Petfoods, Peter Muhlenfeld, confirmed yesterday the cat deaths had been traced back to Orijen's dry cat food, and the problem appeared to be restricted to Australia.
He said samples sent back by the Australian distributor had a "strange odour". The company is investigating whether irradiation upon entry into Australia was the source of the contamination.
The Oddy family of Dundas has lost two cats in the past week. "They were the children's pets; it's awful," Sarah Oddy said.
At this time, there have been no reports of these occurrences with Orijen for dogs or Orijen for cats sold elsewhere. There's also no information to indicate what's wrong with the Orijen for cats sold in Australia.
Kathy
ABC News-Australia November 24, 2008
A Sydney vet says an imported pet food might be the cause of a chronic illness and the death of several cats.
The Canadian Orijen brand of cat food has been withdrawn from stores in the past three weeks after vets and cat owners raised concerns about it.
Cat neurologist Dr Georgina Child says she knows of about 20 cats that developed weak limbs after they had eaten the food.
Some of the cats developed paralysis and had to be put down.
Dr Child says the Canadian manufacturers are investigating why only the Australian imported product has caused problems.
"At this point, one of the things that they're working on is that there may be a problem with chemicals getting into the food from the packaging somewhere in transit," she said.
But she says there is not a clear time link between the eating the food and developing the symptoms.
"What's troubling about this is that many of these cats have been eating this food for quite some period of time before they actually develop any abnormalities at all," she said.
"Even cats that have stopped eating the food may then go on to develop the signs several weeks or even 12 months later."
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...375062012.html
Cat deaths linked to pet food
Sydney Morning Herald November 24, 2008
UNEXPLAINED chronic illness and death among Sydney cats has been linked to a gourmet imported pet food withdrawn from stores over the past three weeks.
A cat neurologist, Georgina Child, has put down five cats over the past week and treated or consulted with other vets about more than a dozen others suffering from paralysis.
Dr Child, who is based at the University of Sydney's veterinary hospital and the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in North Ryde, said the only factor that linked all the cats was a specialist pet food called Orijen, which is imported through a Canadian company, Champion Petfoods.
"There is a highly suspicious link because this is an uncommon expensive food in this country at the moment, and not sold in supermarkets," Dr Child said. "But all tests that have been done so far haven't given us an answer."
First symptoms included wobbliness or weakness in the animal's hind legs, which could then progress to the front limbs. The condition did not appear to be infectious, Dr Child said, nor typical of a nutritional deficiency.
"Most worrying is that the cats showed no signs [of illness] while on the food," she said. "It seems to be happening weeks or even months later."
The marketing manager of Champion Petfoods, Peter Muhlenfeld, confirmed yesterday the cat deaths had been traced back to Orijen's dry cat food, and the problem appeared to be restricted to Australia.
He said samples sent back by the Australian distributor had a "strange odour". The company is investigating whether irradiation upon entry into Australia was the source of the contamination.
The Oddy family of Dundas has lost two cats in the past week. "They were the children's pets; it's awful," Sarah Oddy said.
At this time, there have been no reports of these occurrences with Orijen for dogs or Orijen for cats sold elsewhere. There's also no information to indicate what's wrong with the Orijen for cats sold in Australia.
Kathy
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