Diamond Pet Food

Vet Notes : dogs

04/26/07

FAQ About the Canned Food Recall

Q: What is the current situation?
A: All canned product was removed from the marketplace in late April. It has since been replaced with new product that is not a part of any recall. Because of the canned pet food recall initiated by American Nutrition Inc., Diamond Pet Foods has announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition.

Q: Which products are affected?
A: There are only 3 canned products affected, Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz cans; Chicken Soup for the Kitten Lover's Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz cans, and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz cans.

Q: What Best By dates should I look for?
A: The products affected by the recall have best by dates as follows:


Q: What caused Diamond to take this action?
A: Diamond Pet Foods is taking this voluntary action after learning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed rice protein concentrate used by American Nutrition contained melamine, a substance not approved for use in food.

Q: Are any Diamond brand dry pet foods being recalled?
A: None of our Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Premium Edge or Professional dry pet foods are being recalled. None of the dry pet food products that we manufacture for Solid Gold or Kirkland Signature are being recalled. Natural Balance did recall 2 formulas that we manufactured for them – Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food and Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry cat food.

Q: How can I contact a veterinarian at Diamond Pet Foods about the recall?
A: We have a call center that is taking calls at 1-866-214-6945. The hours are 8 am to 5 pm Central Standard Time, open everyday.

Q: Rice protein concentrate is not on the label. Why is it in the food?
A: We're working with the FDA to determine this. Diamond Pet Foods did not formulate or label these 3 formulas to contain rice protein concentrate. While the FDA is investigating this, current information indicates this error is a result of a manufacturing deviation by American Nutrition.

Q: What are the symptoms of illness associated with eating this product?
A: We would like to emphasize that none of the samples of these products have tested positive for melamine or any other contaminants. We have not received any reports of illness associated with these products. It has been widely reported that pets that ingest the foods tainted with melamine may develop kidney problems. Typically they will vomit the food shortly after eating. However, vomiting is not uncommon in dogs or cats and one episode of vomiting should not be a cause for alarm in the absence of other symptoms. These pets usually will drink a lot of water, will act very sleepy, and will vomit. These symptoms develop very rapidly after consuming the tainted food.

Q: My pet ate one of the withdrawn foods. Should I take him to the vet?
A: At this time, we have no reason to believe that the withdrawn foods contain melamine. If your pet is ill, no matter what the cause, you should contact your veterinarian.

Q: Will Diamond Pet Foods pay my vet bill?
A: We will make a decision on a case by case basis regarding reimbursement for veterinary expenses.

Q: What should I do if I am feeding one of these products?
A: You should quit feeding the product and return any unused cans to your retailer for a full refund.

Q: Is the rice in your products safe?
A: Yes - our white rice, brown rice, rice bran, rice flour, and brewers rice that we use in various formulas are all safe and free from melamine contamination.

Q: What is rice protein concentrate?
A: Rice protein concentrate is a by-product of the rice syrup industry. Unlike other rice ingredients, it is very high in protein. It is not the same ingredient as white rice, brown rice, brewers rice, rice bran or rice flour.

Q: Do you use wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate in your foods?
A: These ingredients are used in canned products as thickening agents for gravy or as low-ash protein sources. They are also used as protein sources in dry foods. We do not use any wheat gluten and we used rice protein concentrate only in the 2 Natural Balance formulas that were recalled – Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food and Venison & Green Pea dry cat food.

Q: Why does American Nutrition manufacture your canned food?
A: Manufacturing canned pet food is very different from the manufacturing of dry pet food, requiring different equipment. Diamond Pet Foods does not have a canning facility.

Q: How can you be certain that more canned foods won't be recalled?
A: We are working closely with the FDA to ensure that no additional manufacturing deviation occurs with our canned products. The FDA did investigate our other canned formulas in both the Diamond brand and the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand and found that rice protein concentrate was not included in any other formulas.

Q: Please explain the situation with the pet food that was sold to the hog farmers.
A: It is common regulated practice for animal food facilities to provide salvage product to farms with non-ruminant animals. This regulated practice is mindful of the environment as it does not waste energy (food) and saves valuable landfill space. All of the salvage food was sold prior to Diamond Pet Foods being notified of the contamination in rice protein concentrate.

Q: What is salvage pet food?
A: Salvage pet food is product that comes off the equipment at the very beginning of a run of food. It is high in moisture and thus can't be bagged.

Q: If your dry foods are not being recalled, how did the salvage food get contaminated?
A: We did manufacture two formulas for Natural Balance that were recalled – Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food and Natural Balance Venison & Green Pea dry cat food – and it was the beginning portions of these runs of food that ended up in the salvage food that was sold.

Dr. Melissa Brookshire
Veterinarian