Problem With Kirkland Signature Pet Food?

[boojew]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I just wanted to post my experience with my two cats who've recently come down with jaundice (one has recovered, the other is still undergoing treatment). According to my vet, 1 cat is somewhat rare - both is much more so and usually indicates that there is a common source to the problem. While its impossible to rule out every source, it does seem rather likely that the food could in fact be the culprit as both cats ate (we've replaced their old food the food) pretty much only this. The food in question was Kirkland Signature Super Premium Cat Food. Since all this has begun, I've learned that other batches of the food have previously been recalled (http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/diamond.asp and there many other links on google), but my batch was not affected.

We bought both bags of the food that we had in August 2006 at the Costco in Pointe-Claire,QC and the symptoms began for 1 cat in late January and the other cat just 4-5 days ago. The best by date of the 2nd bag (we no longer have the 1st) is March 6th 2008 and the production code is kmc0901022ms1051.

The symptoms that we've experienced so far:
- Skin, whites of the eyes and urine become yellow due to a build up of bile
- Cats drink more and urinate more
- They stop eating and pooing
- Start vomiting bile (I think thats what my vet said it was)
- They become lethargic

And obviously, the longer left untreated the worse it can become

The treatment that we've been using on our cats is as follows:
- Two anti-biotics to help with the infection: Baytril and Metronizadale (sp?).
- A liver supplement called Zentonil
- An anti-nausea pill to help with the vomiting
- A sub-cutaneous drip (like an IV) of electrolytes so they don't dehydrate
- Force feeding.... Lots of force feeding

Everything needs to be staggered through out the day and I have to say, my gf and I are planning our days around the treatments. It's also, between the pills and the vet bills, cost us over $1000 for the two cats. The 1st one cost much more since we needed to perform more tests, while the 2nd one we knew what it was.

I'm not saying that the problem is the food, but rather that it is a possibility. We will be returning the suspect bag to Costco this week and they've said they will send it out for analysis. Has anyone had any similar experiences?

Thanks!

[rainbow]

I'm sorry to hear what you and your kitties have gone through.

I have not had a similar experience but I think if it were me I wouldn't give the whole bag to Costco. I would keep some and get it analyzed elsewhere as well. Also, keep the the date, product code and any other information from the bag. Good luck and keep us posted.

[boojew]

Originally Posted by rainbow

I'm sorry to hear what you and your kitties have gone through.

I have not had a similar experience but I think if it were me I wouldn't give the whole bag to Costco. I would keep some and get it analyzed elsewhere as well. Also, keep the the date, product code and any other information from the bag. Good luck and keep us posted.

Yes, I was already planning on keeping a sample of the food w/ date and code, but I'm not sure where to get it tested nor how much it would cost.

[rainbow]

I'm not sure either but there are others here that will be able to help and you should get more replies soon.

[mummummum]

Hmmm... I'm having problems locating independent labs in Quebec. Below is a government resource. Perhaps call them, explain your problem and ask if they can recommend an independent lab.

Quebec Region Food Laboratory
1001, Saint-Laurent Street West Longueuil (Quebec) J4K 1C7 Tel.: (450) 646-1353 Fax: (450) 928-4480.

Personally I would keep the bag and send Costco and the lab the sample with photocopies of whatever info the bag contains they require.

[rainbow]

I had trouble trying to find independent labs as well when I googled for it. I was quite surprised actually.

Good point about keeping the original bag.

[rainbow]

Maybe these guys can help:

http://www.intertek-cb.com/newsitete...agrifood.shtml

[boojew]

Originally Posted by mummummum

Hmmm... I'm having problems locating independent labs in Quebec. Below is a government resource. Perhaps call them, explain your problem and ask if they can recommend an independent lab.

Quebec Region Food Laboratory
1001, Saint-Laurent Street West Longueuil (Quebec) J4K 1C7 Tel.: (450) 646-1353 Fax: (450) 928-4480.

Personally I would keep the bag and send Costco and the lab the sample with photocopies of whatever info the bag contains they require.

You wouldn't happen to (roughly) know the cost of testing, would you?

[rainbow]

I don't but I'll pm MX3 for you.

[boojew]

Originally Posted by rainbow

I don't but I'll pm MX3 for you.

Thanks! Everyone's help and suggestions are much appreciated. I believe the tests should be for Aflatoxins, but of course that based on previous recalls and no longer be the case.

[rainbow]

I pm'd her but I see she's logged off. She's at work but will pop in as time allows. But, I'm sure if you just call the number and ask someone will be able to let you know.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by boojew

Thanks! Everyone's help and suggestions are much appreciated. I believe the tests should be for Aflatoxins, but of course that based on previous recalls and no longer be the case.

There is also mycotoxins and others....I think endotoxin???

[rainbow]

Does any of the universities there do testing? It wouldn't hurt to phone and ask. Or, maybe your vet can point you in the right direction.

Keep us posted.

[boojew]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Does any of the universities there do testing? It wouldn't hurt to phone and ask. Or, maybe your vet can point you in the right direction.

Keep us posted.

I've asked my vet and he didn't know of any labs that would test food, but I'll call the number posted above when I finish work and see if I can find anything at universities if cost is too prohibitive.

[chico2]

A little off topic,but I've heard many good things about Kirklands Dog-Food,so I checked their catfood,found the ingredients were not up to the standard I like to feed my cats and if any cat got sick from it,even less so:sad:
I hope your kitties recover,it must have been a scary experience both for you and your cats
Please keep us posted..

[Prin]

Yeah, chico, you're right. The cat food isn't the same quality as the dog food...

boojew, have you changed foods yet?

[OntarioGreys]

We bought both bags of the food that we had in August 2006 at the Costco in Pointe-Claire,QC

I had to recheck the start date of the post a couple times before responding

You have food that has been sitting open for over 6 months?????? that could be the problem right there. A bag of food once open is only good for about 30 days, light destroys the natural preservatives, and humidity getting into the bag will cause mold to form.

It is the same principal if you put milk on the counter instead of refrigerated it is not going to remain good till the expiry date

one should only buy food that they can used up within around 30 days.

If you are going to buy that much you have to put in the freezer and take out only enough for a few days at a time.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by chico2

A little off topic,but I've heard many good things about Kirklands Dog-Food,so I checked their catfood,found the ingredients were not up to the standard I like to feed my cats and if any cat got sick from it,even less so:sad:

You're right Chico2, I feed my dogs kirkland lamb and rice , I checked out the cat formula and didn't like it so I never tried it. I also heard some dogs having problems on the kirkland chicken formula.

[boojew]

Originally Posted by Prin

Yeah, chico, you're right. The cat food isn't the same quality as the dog food...

boojew, have you changed foods yet?

Yes, I'm now using Science Diet's Sensitive Stomach. I'm using this one since the sick cat is still vomiting and occasionally tries to eat dry food.

[boojew]

Originally Posted by OntarioGreys

I had to recheck the start date of the post a couple times before responding

You have food that has been sitting open for over 6 months?????? that could be the problem right there. A bag of food once open is only good for about 30 days, light destroys the natural preservatives, and humidity getting into the bag will cause mold to form.

It is the same principal if you put milk on the counter instead of refrigerated it is not going to remain good till the expiry date

one should only buy food that they can used up within around 30 days.

If you are going to buy that much you have to put in the freezer and take out only enough for a few days at a time.

God no! I bought the bag back then but only opened in December. I bought two bags in August and I still had another bag to finish

[chico2]

I usually never buy any bigger than 4-6lb bag for my 3 guys and it usually lasts about a month or maybe a little longer,they don't eat very much of the dry stuff..

[mummummum]

Originally Posted by boojew

You wouldn't happen to (roughly) know the cost of testing, would you?

Can't help you there ~ costs will be based on the panel you request and of course, you location to some extent.

[Prin]

Yeah, I think you're buying bags that are too big and they're just not fresh anymore... Even having it open since December is too long, IMO...

[meb999]

where do you keep the bags of food? Are you sure they weren't punctured back in december (like by carrying them into the house?)

[boojew]

Originally Posted by Prin

Yeah, I think you're buying bags that are too big and they're just not fresh anymore... Even having it open since December is too long, IMO...

No. Do the math. The bag was opened in December and she the cats got sick in last week of JANUARY. The food bag was open for a maximum of 6 weeks. Not buying that was the cause.

[Prin]

Originally Posted by boojew

No. Do the math. The bag was opened in December and she the cats got sick in last week of JANUARY. The food bag was open for a maximum of 6 weeks. Not buying that was the cause.

Getting a little rude?

If the bag had been punctured in August when you bought it and you didn't realize it, then it was open in August.

[Frenchy]

Sorry but Prin's right. I have a multi dog family (big ones) and I only buy one bag at a time. I notice Kirkland food (the ones for dogs anyway) are often puncture and they just put a tape on it. I never buy those bags.

[Prin]

I just think if it was a bad batch of food, your cats would have gotten sick a long time ago (i.e. in September, when they were well into their first bag of it).

[mafiaprincess]

I've nearly bought expired bags before.. buying one at a time. Having bought them 6+ months ago.. I'd be a little doubtful of how that last bag was doing all this time later.

[clm]

No offense intended, but why would you buy cat food in August and not be using it until December or January? Regardless of what the best before date is. So many things can effect the food if it's been around a long time, heat, cold, humidity, unless even unopened bags are kept properly, the best before date isn't going to mean anything.
I feed 4 of my cats and 3 outdoor cats (I know who the one outdoor cat belongs to, not sure if the others are strays or not, they eat a whole lot here though), and I only buy enough food to last a week and I store it away from any heat source. Once opened, the food is stored in a sealed container kept in a dark dry location. Open bags of food are begging to go bad. I doubt there's anything wrong with the kirkland food that was caused by the manufacturer, it's probably just gone rancid. Could also have insects that you may not see too clearly unless you look very closely either.

I sure hope your kitties are going to be okay. Let us know how they progress.

Cindy