Large Cat Food Recall Affecting 25 States

On Sunday, Diamond Pet Foods recalled many types of dry kitten and cat food when internal testing revealed that the food contains a low level of thiamine (vitamin B1).  Thiamine deficiency can cause serious problems for felines.  The recall affects food sold in 25 states.

Recalled Food

Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula in 18 pound bags with a "Best By" date of 10-Jul-2013. The recalled bags contain a product code of: NGF0703.  They were sold in Massachusetts.

Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula in six and 18 pound bags with "Best By" dates of 03-Jan-2014 and 04-Jan-2014.  The product code on these bags is: NGS0101.  Bags were sold in: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

4health All Life Stages Cat Formula in five and 18 pound bags with "Best By" dates of 14-Aug-2013 and 18-Aug-2013.  The product code on these bags is: NGF0802.  The bags were sold in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula *DIFFERENT THAN ABOVE* in six and 18 pound bags with a "Best By" date of 10-Jul-2013.  The product code on these bags is: NGS0702.  The bags were sold in Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Diamond Naturals Kitten Formula in six-ounce samples and six pound bags with a "Best By" date of 30-Sept-2013.  The product code on these bags is: MKT0901.  The bags were sold in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Premium Edge Kitten Formula in six-ounce samples, six pound bags, and 18 pound bags with "Best By" dates of 26-Sept-2013, 29-Sept-2013, 30-Sept-2013, and 02-Oct-2013.  The product code on these bags is: MKT0901.  The bags were sold in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Thiamine Deficiency

Thiamine deficiency can cause gastrointestinal and neurological problems in cats.  Sometimes, gastrointestinal problems occur before neurological symptoms do.

Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include:

• Loss of appetite.
• Cervical ventroflexion - the neck is bent toward the floor, an inability to raise the head.
• Muscle weakness.
• Dilated pupils.
• Salivation.
• Loss of coordination.
• Slow heartbeat. 
• Seizures.
• Head tilt.
• Falling.
• Circling. 

If you have a bag of the recalled food, please stop feeding it immediately.  You can take the bag of food back to the retailer you purchased it from or discard of it in the garbage.  

If you notice any of the symptoms or other unusual behavior in your cat, please take him or her to the vet for a diagnosis and treatment plan.  

Sources:

CatChannel: Cat Food Recalled in 25 States 

PetMed: Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency in Cats