Several area pet owners have e-mailed us about the massive recall of tainted pet food to let us know that their dogs and cats got sick -- and even died in some cases -- after eating the food.

Rat poison was found in the pet food that is suspected of causing kidney failure. At least 16 cats and dogs have died nationwide, but that number could actually be much hire.

Here are some of the local cases:

I simply don't know where to start - After a hideous and heart wrenching six hours at the emergency clinic on Wednesday night, I was forced for humane reasons to make the decision to euthanize my seventeen year, ten month old cat, Trigger. It is inconceivable to me that the food I purchased in good faith, and fed to her out of love and concern for her well-being and longevity, is responsible for her death. Every packet of food I had purchased (Special Kitty) and have in my pantry was on the recall list. With the first news report of possible contamination, I stopped feeding her the food. Apparently Menu Foods knew the food was potentially contaminated weeks prior to that news release. As a manufacturer (and supposedly an authority on nutrition), they knew the potential for toxicity increases with the amount and continued consumption / exposure to any toxic substance. I have no doubt that this delayed reaction (and lack of honesty) in releasing the news of this potential problem has caused and will continue to cause the needless deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of beloved pets. That fact alone is not just morally reprehensible, but criminally malicious."

Jennifer Boone

"Our 7 ½ year old German Shepherd died last Saturday (March 17).  We took him to the emergency clinic where they told us that he had gone into Septic Shock and was suffering mulitple organ failure.  The symptoms seemed to be consistant with the other pet deaths.  Before this, our Caleb was in good health other than being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his knee.  He was on dry food (Professional Breeders, Royal Canin-since the summer) for his entire life.  The only time he got wet food was just prior to the illness.  He wouldn’t eat for a couple of days and in order for him to take an anti-inflamatory medicine for the knee, our vet gave me Hill’s A/D (prescription food). Our “boy” went through a horrible death.  We loved him dearly.  He thought of our kids as his own and would have given his life for them.  We would really like to some answers and closure."

Jim Liggett

Deer Park, Texas

"Our family's beloved 4 yr old family dog died 4 weeks ago. He took ill very suddenly and our vet was unable to figure out why he was experiencing vomiting, lethargy, and not eating which resulted in his death 2 weeks later from liver failure. The vet ran many tests and was unable to come up with a cause for the illness. He had been a strong healthy young dog. Then this past week we found out about the food recall. We had one packet of our Iams wet dog food that our Louie ate on a daily basis until he became so ill. It has matching codes for the recalled foods. We have been following this story closely. We have made calls to the FDA and Iams that have yet to be returned. We are so heartbroken over the death of our "family member" Louie. He was a wonderful perfect beautiful dog that we rescued when he was 8 months old. We had planned for many more years with him and for our soon expected 3rd child to be raised with him. He was wonderful with our children and our 7 yr old son's best buddy."

Amber and Scott Wilson and family

"Yes my 7 year old persian cat Kiki,  died.  The vets were puzzled  said she had eaten something toxic. Kiki, never, ever, ate anything but her food.  She had all the listed symptoms, went into seizures and died.  I have contacted Menu Foods twice, but have not heard back from them.

Rosa Garcia

"My mom and dad’s dog, Peanut, became rather dispondent after eating some of the recalled pet food.  She stopped eating, lost a lot of weight, drank a lot of water and became disoriented a couple of days ago.  She was so disoriented that when she was called she went the other way.  Peanut wound up getting run over because she didn’t know which way she was going. She died."

Liz McMillian

"I have always fed my cat SPECIAL KITTY and for about 2 weeks my cat has not been eating and has been losing a lot of weight. I fed it ham because it would refuse to eat the cat food it would only drink the juice and it has been just laying around and sad. I now know why he was so upset. The damn food I’ve been giving him. I feel so bad because I am his owner and should have been protecting him and yet I was killing him slowing. I am on my way to the vet to make sure something can be done and he won’t die." 

Jean C Balderas

“I have 3 Long Haired German Shepherds. I have had all three of them tested for complications caused by the Iams canned food I fed them that has been recalled. One of my boys has higher levels of creatinine which affects his kidney function. He will now have to be retested next week and if the levels have not gone down he will have some type of treatment that will hopefully return him to a healthy dog again. These high levels of creatinine are not normal in a healthy 4 yr. Old dog. They are most definitely caused by the Iams recalled food. I’m hoping and praying that he will not succumb to any complications caused by the food. I still do not believe that all this is happening. I hope they are able to find out who did this. The fact that rat poison has been found in some of the food leads me to believe that it was a who not a what that did this."

Kathy Poritzky

The toxin was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

Aminopterin is not registered for killing rodents in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, though it is used as a cancer drug. State officials wouldn’t speculate on how the toxin got into Menu Foods’ now-recalled pet food but said no criminal investigations had been launched.

Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by Menu Foods and found Aminopterin in two of them. Hooker said they would be testing individual components of the pet food, as well.

“Any amount of this product is too much in food,” he said.

Aminopterin, also used as a cancer drug, is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, it can cause kidney failure, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

AP

Pebbles, a 7-year-old Yorkshire terrier, is battling kidney failure after eating dog food that was later recalled.

The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation in the pet deaths was focusing on wheat gluten in the pet food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated, the FDA said.

The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.

Menu Foods last week recalled “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.

The company’s chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.

Menu Foods planned a media teleconference for later Friday, a spokesman said. The company is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund of Streetsville. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.

A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case.

“I don’t know where we’ll go from here,” he said.

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.

New York State is home to two laboratories that are part of federal emergency lab networks, created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation’s animals and food supply safe.

The New York State Food Laboratory is part of the Federal Food Emergency Response Network and is capable of running a number of toxin tests on food, including the test that identified aminopterin.