Originally published February 26 2006
Toxic pet food only on the east coast, Diamond Pet Foods officials say
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to Diamond Pet Foods officials, recalled bags of potentially poisonous dog food contaminated with aflatoxin were only distributed in states east of Ohio.
Diamond Pet Foods narrowed down which of its pet foods were contaminated with aflatoxin, a potentially lethal chemical which has killed dozens of dogs in the last month.
Bags of the toxic food were shipped only to states east of Ohio, Diamond chief operating officer Mark Brinkman said.
Diamond Pet Foods officials began noticing a high incidence of contaminated corn deliveries at its Gaston, S.C., manufacturing facility in September --- three months before the company issued a recall of potentially poisonous dog food.
The deaths of dozens of dogs nationwide have been linked to aflatoxin poisoning from eating contaminated food manufactured by the company at the South Carolina plant.
The company typically has had to reject about one or two truckloads of corn each year because it contained levels of aflatoxin that exceed federal limits, said Mark Brinkmann, the company's chief operating officer.
The company issued a wide recall after a New York veterinarian called to say she had linked the death of a dog with the company's food.
Aflatoxin comes from a fungus found on corn and other crops and can cause severe liver damage in pets.
If your pet shows any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Source: Food and Drug Administration Diamond spokeswoman Carol Anderson said 76 dogs have been confirmed dead from aflatoxin after eating the company's pet food.
Other reports say as many as 100 dogs have been killed, although veterinarians are concerned that many other animals may have died without being diagnosed.
Customer Hotline: 1-866-214-6945 Diamond is cooperating with the Food and Drug Administration's probe of the contaminated bags of food, said FDA spokesperson Michael Herndon.
Aflatoxin develops on crops during hot weather and drought, and was detected in several key growing states including Iowa and Illinois in 2005.
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