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RALEIGH -
Dr. Nannette Goodwin said a woman brought her dog into the Bowman Animal Hospital reporting he was drinking more water than usual. Most of the dog's symptoms were vague. Before he left the hospital at 8308 Creedmoor Road, Goodwin had diagnosed the dog with kidney failure.A week later, Menu Foods recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches sold under 53 dog-food brand names and 42 cat brands, saying they were contaminated. Most of the affected pets had kidney problems."We lined [the symptoms] up with the fact that he had been consuming that [food]," Goodwin said, "and it was like what other pets had been experiencing."A cat was brought to the hospital with similar symptoms. It had to be euthanized. The dog is responding to treatment and recovering. The tainted food has been removed from his diet.FDA officials said Friday that melamine, a chemical used to make plastic kitchen products, was found in wheat gluten, an ingredient in the food. FDA officials said the wheat gluten had been imported from China. Also, Hill's Pet Nutrition is recalling 4- and 10-pound bags of its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food -- the first time dry food has been recalled. No other Hill's dry products were affected.According to The Associated Press, anecdotal reports suggest hundreds if not thousands of pets have died. The FDA has received more than 8,000 complaints, the company more than 300,000.
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