Cat Food Recall: Nutro
On April 21, we reported that the FDA had confirmed a probe of NUTRO for pet food deaths and illnesses tied to consumption of NUTRO pet food.
Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
For more info, go to the Nutro website.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) — Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.
This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.
Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.
Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.
Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.Recalled Pet Food
The varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods listed below with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 are affected by this voluntary recall.
U.S. Product Name
Bag Size
UPC
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food 4 lbs 0 79105 20607 5 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food 8 lbs. 0 79105 20608 2 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Bonus Bag) 9.2 lbs. 0 79105 20695 2 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food 20 lbs 0 79105 20609 9 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Sample Bag) 1.5 oz none
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult 4 lbs 0 79105 20610 5 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult 8 lbs. 0 79105 20611 2 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Bonus Bag) 9.2 lbs 0 79105 20694 5 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult 20 lbs 0 79105 20612 9 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Sample Bag) 1.5 oz none
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor 4 lbs 0 79105 20622 8 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor 8 lbs 0 79105 20623 5 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor (Bonus Bag) 9.2 lbs. 0 79105 20698 3 NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor 20 lbs 0 79105 20624 2 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 3 lbs 0 79105 10228 5 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 6 lbs 0 79105 10229 2 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 16 lbs 0 79105 10230 8 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag) 1.5 oz none
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 3 lbs 0 79105 10243 8 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 6 lbs 0 79105 10244 5 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor 16 lbs 0 79105 10245 2 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag) 1.5 oz none
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor 3 lbs 0 79105 10246 9 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor 6 lbs 0 79105 10247 6 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor 16 lbs 0 79105 10248 3 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control 3 lbs 0 79105 10249 0 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control 6 lbs 0 79105 10250 6 NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control 16 lbs 0 79105 10251 3
For more info, go to the Nutro website.
This comment was left, which might help any of you affected by the recall:
Cat owners with cats affected by Nutro food should call the FDA in their area http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm as well as talking to Lisa McCormick at consumeraffairs.com I keep reading on Twitter that Nutro reports no sick cats yet I am seeing there and here that is not true. The truth needs to get out. It seems like Nutro wants to minimze this recall. Remember this was found by a paperwork problem not actual testing of the product at Trouw Nutrition, who was the supplier of the pre-mix, or at Nutro with pre-or post production. Cat owners may still be feeding this. You can make a difference by reporting the illnesses, or sadly worse, cat deaths. I wish someone was able to reach out to me in the 2007 recall…I had two cats poisoned and felt completely alone…
Glad to see you got this posted so fast!
Way to care Catster!!!
Thanks for watching out for us all~
Interesting that Nutro says there have been no complaints.
Ever since the economy took a downturn we have been so worried about companies that might cut corners on our food to save money. While this sounds like a simple case of a mistake, it is indeed a reminder to ALL kitties to keep an eye on the news. Thank you Skeezy and the food lady for getting this information to us.
Thank you for posting this, Karen. Important for ALL to know!
Yes, Hazel Lucy, that is very interesting. What about all the customer complaints that have been showing up on the Consumer Affairs website ever since the 2007 Pet Food Recall? Sadly, I don’t think this is an isolated incident, and I haven’t trusted Nutro since Tabby’s death, nor will I ever trust them again.
Good to know Skeezix! Thanks for letting everyone know!
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My cat is sick from this product!!!!!
My cat is sick from this product!!!!!
About 2 weeks ago I switched my cat from Nutro, Max Cat Kitten formula to the Adult formula. Within days she was vomitting and had diarrhea! I took her to my Vet and he thought it was unusual that she would be sick from switching from the same brand to an adult formula but decided to treat her with an antibotic for a bacterial infection figuring her stomach was extra sensitive due to me switching from the Kitten to the Adult formula.
I’m sure the reason that Nutro has clamed to have not had many complaints is because vommiting and diarrhea in isn’t exactly an out of the ordinary occurance. I never would have suspected that there was actually something wrong with her food. I am so thankful that I saw the news report this evening or I would have continued poisoning her with the same food!
I returned the food to Petco and they happily gave me a refund. I have purchased ID feline formula from my vet to give my cat in the interim until I slowly introduce her to a new brand of food.
I plan to contact Nutro tomorrow to request a reimbursment of my vet bill.
Sorry for the typo errors. I should have read my post befor I published it..oops.
Before, not befor….maybe I need to go to bed…LOL
Dani, my heart truly goes out to you and your kitty. I hope she has a speedy recovery. Are you on Catster? Feel free to contact me via my cats’ pages. (Click on my name)
Prayers for Dani’s cat! and for Dani. ((((((((^^))))))))
And thank you, Skeezy, for posting this so quickly. I have the Complete Care Ocean Fish and the Nutro Roasted Chicken and plan to take them back to Petco for exchange. It is very difficult for me to have to do so; why on earth don’t the food manufacturers pay more attention to their production?
To answer the last question posted by jmuhj, The nutro company does pay attention to their production. why do you think they recalled the food? if they werent paying attention, they wouldnt have found the error. Its not uncommon for this to happen. If all the other pet food manufactures recalled food when they found a mistake, we would see all the foods being recalled here and there. Nutro is the only pet food manufacturer that shuts down their plant every 14 days to inspect safety in their product. Not one other company does this. those of you who are saying bad things about nutro really dont know the truth. and it saddens me how rumors start and in the end it only affects the innocent animals. People, please check your facts!
My cat died from this product this week. I have another who is very ill. We fed her and my other 4 cats Nutro for almost 10 years. I’m disgusted with this company!
Holly, I am so sorry for your loss. I can truly say that I understand what you’re going through. I’ll be praying for your other kitty to make a full recovery now that she’s off Nutro.
my cat, eva has eaten nutro for almost 3 yrs now. the bag she was eating (almost all done with the bag) was recalled due to the date and i returned what was left. she is ok, but she is picky and doesn’t want other dry food. she eats trader joes wet, but now i’m trying to find a replacement dry!
I am always amazed at how reactionary people are to web news. I have fed my 20 cats and 3 cat colonies Nutro for over 20 years. They have lived to be as old as 23 with my oldest at 21 now. They are all very healthy. I can’t believe that any of the people who sadly lost their cats can say their vets told them the cat died from eating Nutro. The fact that they check the food so closely is why the error was caught-they could let it go and no one would have known but they chose to recall it at their great expense for the sake of your animal.
WHEW!! Mom just got us off of Max Cat Indoor Weight Control. She said that there were too many things going on with their dog food for her liking and she was reading that the FDA had a watch on them. Some kitties don’t know this but “Greenies” are also made by this company along with Whiskas cat food and Temptations cat treats. The Max Cat/Nutro brand was sold to MARS after the tainted food in 2007. Please check to see who makes your brand of cat food if you know it is not Purina (Cat Chow, Friskies), or Delmonte (Pounce treats, 9 Lives).
Just took my 10 week old cat into the vet for loss of appetite, refusal of food, weight loss, and vomiting. I have been feeding him Nutro cat food for the last three weeks with the date mentioned above. He is not at the vets with kidney failure. G.D. that company! If I would have know it sooner I would have stopped feeding him their food!
My cat has also been sick from this. We thought he was simply losing his mind. He (although neutered) had started spraying everything. He was put on kitty Prozac to help. It didn’t. We switched foods to help our female cat lose weight, and he stopped spraying — went back when we ran out and it started again. I thought it was an odd coincidence. He was doing other odd things. I was beginning to think maybe he had kitty Alzheimer’s — if there is such a thing.
I am so angry!!!!!
I have been on a rollercoaster with my 4 cats since Feb 11th!!! All 4 were sick beginning in Feb… Boomer neutered Persian male indoor only, the sickest hospitalized for 7 days ($4600) 3 years old in good health. Diagnosis??? GI inflamation, Pancreatitis, diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting & high fever followed due to inflamation. Boomer was 11bs 3oz dropped to 9lbs2ozs. Another 2 days in Hosp in March, weekly blood work, constant meds and diarrhea lasted until April 20th. He has gained back his weight and has been off Nutro for 6 weeks also Diarrhea has ended. Griphon..Persian male neutered indoor 3years old healthy prior. Sick within 4 days of Boomer being Hopitalized. Meds started but continued with Diarrhea and wieght loss for one month. Griphon was hospitalized for 2 days 3 weeks into his illness. Went from 8lbs 4oz to 7lbs. Back up to 7lbs 12ozs. Ripley and Carson also neutered Persian males ages 3 & 4 became ill. Not as severely (they eat Hills C/D and only nibble at the Nutro). As this has been a mystery to my vet and all the specialists involved with Boomers care, they all wondered what the catalyst was that sent this into motion. Today when I walked into the vet office the first thing she said to me was ” how about the food!” Boomer is doing great but has not fully recovered his physical stamina. $8000 later OUCH!!! I am hoping to return to a healthy happy household LONG TERM!!! Nutro said the first shipment of rcalled food hit the shelves mid Jan 09. They have opened a file on my case and their vet is contacting my vet for labs and bills. They said they have an insurance company to reimburse me for my bills/expenses if they determine the food was the cause.
my cat maude has been eating nutro max cat for years–i switched her to fosters & smith due to a suspected corn allergy. a few weeks after the switch, she suffered a seizure? lost half her weight & almost died. she is still alive & somewhat stable, but i wonder if she would be dead now if i had kept feeding her the max cat.
Cat owners with cats affected by Nutro food should call the FDA in their area http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm as well as talking to Lisa McCormick at consumeraffairs.com I keep reading on Twitter that Nutro reports no sick cats yet I am seeing there and here that is not true. The truth needs to get out. It seems like Nutro wants to minimze this recall. Remember this was found by a paperwork problem not actual testing of the product at Trouw Nutrition, who was the supplier of the pre-mix, or at Nutro with pre-or post production. Cat owners may still be feeding this. You can make a difference by reporting the illnesses, or sadly worse, cat deaths. I wish someone was able to reach out to me in the 2007 recall…I had two cats poisoned and felt completely alone…
Help!!! My cat is very sick
I have an 8 year old bangal who has been sick since the beginning of the month but I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until the other day! I got her a new bag of food at the end of April, saw her get sick and diarrhea a week later, the diarrhea stopped and the throwing up slowed down. I just thought she got into something! Mid May she started hiding out, I thought she just found a new comfy spot under the bed. She isn’t a lap cat so I still didn’t think of anything. Now she is SUPER THIN and realized my dog was getting into her food, she wasn’t the one eating it! Took her to the vet today, they gave me an estimate of 700.00 just to figure out what’s wrong! I could only afford the office visit, giving her fluids, and some medicated food she isn’t eating! I’m calling the company tomorrow, will they pay? Why wasn’t this recall in the main stream media??? This needs to be a mandatory recall not voluntary!
Beck…You need to call Nutro, call the FDA with the link I posted above your comment and also get in touch with consumeraffairs thru the website or email. And make your experience public…this may help other cat and dog owners…and do not send Nutro all of your food if they ask for it…this may be all you have to show you fed recalled food…
Anyone who has been (or feels they have been) adversely affected by this product needs to follow Carol’s advice and lodge a formal complaint with both Nutro and the FDA, as well as get in contact with Ms. McCormick at consumeraffairs.com. It is only by standing together against this corporation that we will see them pay for the damage they have done. Please take the time to stand up for the ones who cannot stand up for themselves. As I write this, my cat has been in the hospital for four days with pancreatitis and elevated liver enzymes after eating from a bag of the recalled food.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/nutro_foia07.html
New article up today…and she has interviewed affected cat owners… She still wants to hear from cat owners…
I purchased the dry Kitty Nutro for my adopted kittens. One kitten was fine the other one got very sick. She had diarreha and lost weight. I called Nutro and they paid for the first test. Her zinc level was 35, the normal level is .5-1. They have also paid for a second test which showed her level at 15. I am trying to get them to pay for a third test since her level is still very high. When I called in the first time I also got the story that no one else had cats with raised zinc levels. Accidents can happen in the manufacturing of food and they acted responsibly in recalling the food. I do think they should be more responsive in the follow up care. They told me my case is with the insurance company and I will have to deal with them.
My mother has a Mainecoon cat that has been sick for the last month. At the vet’s they had started him on a different food and he was getting better. When we brought him home she started feeding him the Nutro again and he is back in the vet’s. The bills so far have been over $2000.00. This is very disappointing that the company is not responding and there are multiple pages of complaints about animals, dogs and cats, becoming sick on Nutro foods. My mother is very upset because she loves this cat dearly and we are not sure he is going to make it.