Dog and cat owners are worriedly checking their pet food supplies and calling their veterinarians today in the wake of a national pet food recall.

"We have been inundated with calls," said Darci Blanck, office manager of the Landisville Animal Hospital. "People want to know basically what foods are affected and what they can expect if they have fed that food."

The Smoketown Veterinary Hospital has fielded "dozens and dozens" of calls, said practice manager Julie Wire.

The food was linked to the deaths of 10 animals. The deaths were from kidney failure. Symptoms of that problem include lethargy and vomiting.

Dozens of pet food brand names have been affected. All were manufactured by Menu Foods, which makes wet food sold as store brands in Giant Food Stores and Wal-Marts. It also makes food on behalf of brand-name companies such as Iams and Science Diet.

The foods affected are certain styles of gravy-style food in cans and pouches.

A handful of customers returned the affected pet food over the weekend at the Wal-Mart on Lincoln Highway East, a manager said. Managers at the Fruitville Pike and Ephrata Wal-Marts said they have not received returns.

A spokesman for Giant did not return calls for comment.

"A lot of people are really concerned," Blanck said. "I can understand. If I had fed my dog this canned food, I would be in a major panic right now.

"Pets are like your children. They depend on you to make the right choices for them."

Veterinarian Dr. Marc Olson of the Animal Hospital of Willow Street said the treatment of kidney failure depends on when it is detected.

"The main thing is don't wait until the animal has symptoms," he said. "If you have a concern about their food, stop, return it to the store and have them seen by their veterinarian for evaluation and testing."

The Willow Street hospital saw a dog and cat on Saturday whose owners were concerned they had eaten the affected food. Both checked out fine, Olson said.

Pet owners are confused about the recall because so many brands are affected, Blanck said. Between 40 and 50 brands are listed as being affected.

"From Saturday to even today, they've added more foods to the list," she said.

Wire said veterinarians can do blood work to check the kidney function. She urged pet owners to have their dog or cat checked if anything seems out of the ordinary.

In a statement, Menu Foods said the timing of the reported deaths was associated with its use of a new supplier for wheat gluten, a source of protein.

For more information about what foods are affected, consumers can call 1-866-895-2708 or log onto the Web site www.menufoods.com/recall.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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