Cat deaths linked to Orijen

[robfdavis1971]

Was this ruled out in the cats?

from: http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/catneuro.html

"Another possible explanation
for wobbliness in the rear limbs is hypokalemia (low blood potassium),
which is a part of many lab profiles, but not all of them."

It doesn't say it would cause death, but if they continued to have low blood potassium, could they eventually die?

[coontuffy]

Very important that Orijen feeders read this!!

Kudos to Champion Foods for an outstanding response to this   

http://www.championpetfoods.com/Australia_Consumer_Release.pdf

I shall resume feeding the Orijen Cat


And robfdavis1971

It doesn't say it would cause death, but if they continued to have low blood potassium, could they eventually die?

Potassium is one of the necessary minerals for proper cardiac/heart function.  Low blood potassium will result in bradycardia or a seriously slow heart rhythm and eventual death.  Calcium, potassium and chloride are the 3 minerals essential for proper heart function.............Hope this helps

[Bonkers]

   Well this is good news since it has been found to have not been from an ingredient or supplement used in the Orijen cat food.  But as I had said in a previous post, I will always use caution if ever there are reports of a problem with ANY pet food I may be using. Better to be safe than sorry...........

[robfdavis1971]

@coontuffy - thanks for the info 

And thanks to Champion Pet Foods for doing due diligence to find the root cause and then communicate it.

Robert

[mshomo]

I just read this today...

A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry said Australia required all dry and semi-dried pet food to be either heat-treated or irradiated and Orijen was just one of a number of pet food manufacturers that exported to Australia.

"No other manufacturer has reported any similar issues," he said.

The Sydney cat neurologist who first identified the link between the pet food and the outbreak of illness in the local cat population, Dr Georgina Child, was sceptical of the company's claims.

"There is nothing to suggest any of the cats I have seen are vitamin A deficient … and while all the cats have eaten Orijen, most have also eaten a variety of other foods," she said.

The study quoted by the company was based on the findings of just eight cats and concluded that further research was required to support any link between vitamin A depletion, irradiation and neurological illness, Dr Child said.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cat-food-firm-blames-deaths-on-quarantine-controls/2008/11/27/1227491735559.html

[Bonkers]

   Interesting find mshomo. This was a question I had asked myself as to how many other pet food companies exported to Australia. It does seem rather odd that only one brand of food was affected by the irradiation process. it seems the plot now thickens.........

[Bonkers]

  Just an FYI, It seems that Royal Canin, Artemis, Eagle Pack and Natural Balance are the other brands that Australia imports.

[Perseus]

After being off the forum for a few days, I’ve had a chance to read up and review all that’s been posted by Champion Petfoods, on other forums and in the news regarding the Orijen problems and I would still advise being vigilant about using their products.  I rotate a variety of foods and flavors to this very day and will continue doing so as a measure of precaution with any pet food. 

Although I commend Champion Petfoods for notifying pet parents of the Orijen problem in Australia swiftly; doing their testing and posting the results timely, I cannot help but find fault with them and I’m angry that cats have died because of their lack of control over their own product.  I don’t accept their results as being the final explanation of the cause of the deaths of the cats in Australia.  There are still too many questions that are unanswered and pulling their product completely out of Australia just relieves them of any further research or testing or liability.

In the Champion Petfood press release dated Nov. 23 indicating there was a voluntary recall of the Orijen cat dry food product in Australia, they were quick to point out they suspected the irradiation problem.  Too quick in my opinion, indicating they had suspicions all along that they may face this problem one day.

In the Champion Petfood press release dated Nov. 26, where they determined the cause was the irradiation, they were quick to point to studies that confirm high levels of irradiation treatments were the cause of the deaths.  These studies have been around for a long time.  When Champion Petfood made the decision to export their products to Australia, they were aware of the laws to irradiate their products, they were aware of the studies of the associated problems with irradiation, and they should have monitored the processes to assure the pet parents that their food remained safe by consumption by pets.
 
Another great concern I have with the Nov. 26 press release, is that they state “the overwhelming majority of dry cat foods in Australia do not require irradiation; Orijen is one of the very few that must comply with this regulation.”  Okay, so who are the rest of the “very few” that do require irradiation, and what has Champion Petfoods done to notify the other companies other than post their press release?  Obviously they know who these other companies are, but since they pulled their food out of Australia have they just washed their hands of the problem?  Why are we not hearing from the other “very few”?  If they are so committed to “on-going research into this case” why don’t they start by informing the other pet food manufacturers to come forward with the other pet foods that are being irradiated so pet parents have the opportunity to stop feeding them before other cats die? 

There is still the question as to whether the irradiation was the cause of the problem, and there are vets that are questioning the lack of vitamin A as being the single cause of death in cats.  Perhaps TAZ can post his findings on the other documents he’s found that are questioning this testing result.

Finally, probably the thing that pisses me off the most (sorry, I could use stronger words), where’s the frigging apology and offer to reimburse vet bills, etc???  “We extend our deepest empathy to the Australian families affected by this regrettable circumstance” is the best they get? That’s not an apology or offer of help.  “Empathy” means they understand how you feel.  “Apology” means expressing regret.  Big difference. Carefully crafted words by a PR firm IMO.

Please keep this topic going with the latest news and posts to ensure the continued health and safety of our fur kids.  As a pet parent that lost a beloved family member to contaminated food (okay, let’s be specific, shall we?  NUTRO!), who had to watch her go through such violent seizures when her kidneys were shutting down, who to this very day can remember clearly the look in Persephone’s eyes as she was dying, I can only do my small part in stressing to other parents to remain vigilant about all pet foods.

[Perseus]

Here's a statement by Eagle Pack to their pet food customers in Australia that I find interesting, I bolded the areas of interest:

26 November 2008

In the last couple of days an article has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald highlighting a series of ‘illness and deaths’ amongst Sydney cats linked to Orijen pet foods. Be assured that, Eagle Pack, as an importer of high quality pet food uses human grade ingredients only in our food and does not apply any un-natural chemical preservatives in the presentation of our food. We would also like to assure our customers that whilst Eagle Pack is produced in the USA we are not linked to Champion Pet Foods (producing Orijen Pet Foods).

There was also mention in this article about the use of irradiation treatment on pet foods. We are responsible to AQIS to fulfil many stringent obligations before we can bring food into this country. Once again Eagle Pack would like to assure our valued customers that our Super Premium and Holistic Select Pet Foods do not require any irradiation treatment to be sold in Australia. Eagle Pack Pet Foods are made with the finest quality ingredients backed by world renowned quality assurance procedures and processes.

Full article here:

http://www.petdirectory.com.au/?page=directory&country=all&section=1&ldoc=1182

[TAZ]

Here's a statement by Eagle Pack to their pet food customers in Australia that I find interesting,...

I had read that as well thx to a Google alert. At the time, the only message I read was: 'to those looking for a substitute/replacement for your Orijen, our stuff is all-natural and, and the quality is so good, it doesn't need irradiation'. I picked up an implied superiority of Eagle Pack foods over Orijen...

Are you instinctually picking up something else?

(BTW, I had slipped a note to you under the fence...)

[Perseus]

Here's a statement by Artemis that they do NOT irradiate their pet foods imported into Australia:

Artemis Pet Foods would like assure all our current and future customers that NONE of our products undergo any Gamma Irradiation Treatment whatsoever.

Found on their home page for Artemis Australia at http://www.artemispetfood.com.au/

Another Australian pet food distributor has posted on their website that they have requested confirmation from all of their suppliers as to whether they irradiate their food or not, and will post it as it becomes available on their website; worth watching to see who they add to their list.  So far, only Eagle Pack and Artemis have confirmed to them:

http://k9katzkitchen.com.au/store/index.php

[Bonkers]

   Per the statement issued by Eagle Pack, it sounds to me like they are incinuating that Orijen uses un-natural chemical preservatives on their pet foods. Maybe this is not how it was meant to be interpreted but that is how I read it.                     Per Orijen's statement on their website: "Q: WHY IS ORIJEN IRRADIATED?
A: Australia requires irradiation on foods that include fresh meats or that have been cooked at low temperatures.
Other pet foods that are cooked at high temperatures or are made with chicken meal, turkey meal, fish meal or other
ingredients that are pre-cooked at high temperatures prior to inclusion in pet foods do not have to be irradiated."   I find this interesting as the Orijen cat food contains salmon meal, chicken meal and turkey meal. Could it be the reason theirs is the exception because it also contains deboned chicken?

[Perseus]

Posted with permission from Katdogs at the Dogz Online Forum.  This is an email that Dr. Georgina Child has sent to Champion Petfoods after their announcement on Nov. 26 as to the cause of the Orijen problems being irradiation:

To the Procurement and Nutrition Coordinator Champion Petfoods Ltd.

I was glad to see the latest press release from Champion Pet Foods and the withdrawal of Orijen pet foods from the Australian markets.

I feel a few facts need to be put forward . There are more than 30 affected cats that I have seen or spoken to their owners. 5 have been euthanased due to severe neurologic impairment and poor quality of life ( 3 completely paraplegic and 2 completely tetraplegic). At least 3 others have been euthanased in other states (2 paraplegic and 1 tetraplegic) . The affected cats have been seen in Sydney, Queensland and Canberra. 1 cat to my knowledge and 2 more reported are affected after eating orijen dog food.

The majority of the affected cats have not been fed Orijen exclusively and have been fed a variety of other dry, canned, fresh and cooked food but Orijen is common to all. This does not support Vit A deficiency as a cause. Although irradiation may reduce Vit A content in the food it was not to levels that were deficient either. The Veterinary pathology paper cited linking Vit A deficiency as a possible cause of the neurologic abnormalities was also stated as a hypothesis (this was not mentioned in the press release) not a fact and has not been substantiated . The cats in the cited study were not receiving any other food unlike the cats that have been exposed to Orijen. 2 of the cats that have recovered or improved that I have been involved with have done so with a change in diet only.The only other factor in their recovery was time (they were amongst the earliest affected in July) and physiotherapy( provided by the owner). There is no rationale to advocating Vit A supplementation (excess Vit A may be toxic) and no real evidence to support the other recommendations either. There is absolutely no evidence that supplementation with vitamins or antioxidants improves the outcome in these cats. And no evidence filtered water is important.

My recommendations have been to provide a well balanced diet-either dry, canned, raw or homecooked (preferably a combination) which would provide all the nutritional requirements necessary and time.
We are still in the evolution stage of this problem -we will not have any real idea of prognosis or outcome for probably 6 months or more. It is still likely more cases will come to light.

Irradiation of the food may or may not be the cause. The pathology suggests a neurotoxicity and the epidemiology suggests an often very delayed onset of clinical signs. Other factors I think should remain under consideration -including heat during transport/storage etc. All we know for certain so far is something is amiss somewhere between the site of manufacture and the food bowl-it may be associated with the food/ packaging or a combination of the 2, irradiation or some other factor in transit may be altering the chemical content of the food.

Certainly pathologic and toxicologic tests are still ongoing and a comprehensive epidemiologic study will be started in an effort to prevent a similar episode again. This study should include cats that are affected and those that have been fed the food that are not affected.

This has been devastating for all concerned -the cat owners (all of whom feel responsible- irrationally), the veterinarians involved (eg me who euthanased 2 beautiful completely paralysed cats from the same household on the same day) , the local retail outlets who have sold the food and champion pet foods. However unsubstantiated theories on the cause and treatments is not helping.

Compensation for owners that have large veterianary bills associated with the investigation of the causes of their cats problems needs to be addressed.

Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Yours Sincerely,
Georgina Child BVSc DACVIM (Neurology)

[coontuffy]

So I have a really stupid question..........

Is Eagle Pack incinuating the use of un-natural chemical preservatives in Orijen shipped to Australia?
Or does it pertain to Orijen in general?

I must admit, I have 5 brand new bags, which I have not opened.  I am a bit put off by the Eagle Pack statement/incinuation and if they are just being snarky, in my opinion, then I would not consider their food as a replacement.

[Perseus]

So I have a really stupid question..........

Is Eagle Pack incinuating the use of un-natural chemical preservatives in Orijen shipped to Australia?
Or does it pertain to Orijen in general?

I must admit, I have 5 brand new bags, which I have not opened.  I am a bit put off by the Eagle Pack statement/incinuation and if they are just being snarky, in my opinion, then I would not consider their food as a replacement.

Coontuffy, I take it as a direct insinuation from Eagle Pack that Orijen is using un-natural chemical preservatives, but as to whether it’s just for the Australian marketplace or not is the big question.  This statement by Eagle Pack was in response to the Orijen product recall in Australia, so why mention that in the first place?

Sometimes the only way you find out the reality of the ingredients in pet food manufacturing is from the competition.  Just like in human food products, if the ingredient is not “measurable” i.e., less than 1%, it doesn’t have to be stated on the ingredients.  The coating on the kibble for example would measure less than 1% of the overall ingredients so perhaps it does not have to be declared.

One of my questions for Clark Stride from Champion Petfoods would be, what ingredients are being used in Orijen’s formula that do not have to be declared by law because they are not “measurable.”  I sure hope the answer isn’t the typical “it’s proprietary.”

Another question would be to point out Eagle Pack’s statement and ask for a clarification as to why they would state that in response to the Orijen recall in Australia.

It can be construed as “snarky” by Eagle Pack if there is no basis to it.  On the other hand, it may be pointing us in another direction other than irradiation as the root cause of the problem.

Dig, dig, dig.