Moses Lake dog eats recalled pet food

MOSES LAKE — When Moses Lake resident Melody Sheriff's 15-year-old dog Buppy stopped eating his regular pet food last Tuesday, Sheriff first thought he was just being picky.

Now she's not so sure.

On Sunday, Sheriff's husband saw a news announcement adding a specific batch of ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy to a list of nearly 100 recalled pet food brands.

It was the same one they purchased multiple cans of on March 18 and the same one they fed their dog. The company recalled Purina ALPO Prime Cuts batch numbers ranging from 7037 to 7053, with plant code 1159. The expiration date is February 2009.

Pet food tainted with melamine apparently led to kidney failure in animals across the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration halted wheat gluten imports from a company in China following a national recall of pet food made with the chemically contaminated ingredient.

"He could have been ingesting (the food) since the 18th," Sheriff said.

The family always includes Buppy's pain and joint medications in his wet food. For three days he would eat only dry food and lick the gravy from the wet food, which meant he was getting less medication. Twice during the week he vomited.

"He got really reluctant," she said. "It was taking him all day to eat what we put out in the morning and all night to eat what we put out at night."

Sometimes he stops eating his regular food to entice his owners into giving him cat food, but never for days at a time, she said.

He became sickest on Thursday, before the recall of the product was announced.

To increase his intake of the medication, the family offered him cat food. He immediately ate it. Since then, he is doing better.

Sheriff is unsure whether Buppy became sick from the food or whether he started doing poorly due to lack of medication. Her family originally assumed it was a lack of medication, which is why they never took him to the vet.

Whatever the cause, Sheriff is happy the two family cats didn't eat the food because cats seem particularly susceptible to the contamination. Traditionally they lick the gravy from the dog food before he eats it, but for some reason they no longer wanted to do so.

"I feel like it's a near miss definitely with the cats," she said.

After becoming aware of the recall, Sheriff took the food back to the store.

From the experience, she learned not to assume a reason for her pets' ailments.

"He's doing good," she said. "He's out in his pen eating raw hides and carrying on for a man his own age."

The biggest worry she has is someone who bought recalled food might not have the Internet or pay attention to the news. She hopes anyone concerned with their pet's health will take them to the vet.

So far roughly 15 pet deaths are confirmed, but hundreds may have died, as suggested through anecdotal reports.

Menu Foods, Del Monte Pet Products, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. and Purina PetCare Co. all issued recalls on a selection of products.

For recall information visit www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.