A 15-year-old cat whose kidneys failed after she ate wet food involved in a national recall has died, an animal hospital reported.
The cat, named Zoe, was among 25 animals statewide that veterinarians have reported treating for kidney disease or failure after eating the food, said Emilio DeBess, state public health veterinarian.
He surveys the state's veterinarians by e-mail daily and said the death was the only one that veterinarians have confirmed as linked to the Menu Foods "cuts and gravy.
There were five suspected cases reported in Portland and Springfield each. Single cases were reported in Gresham, Hood River, Milwaukie, Clackamas, Salem, Seaside, Sweet Home, Grants Pass and McMinnville. And two cases were reported in Corvallis, Eugene and Bend.
"Zoe's kidneys completely shut down even after doctors gave her medicine to help force her kidneys to work," said a statement from the emergency animal hospital DoveLewis. "She stopped producing urine and fluid began to build up in her lungs which made it harder and harder for her to breathe."
DeBess and other veterinarians have been cautious about attributing deaths to the food _ kidney failure is common among older cats, for example.
But DoveLewis veterinarians said Zoe's symptoms were so severe they were convinced the cause was a toxin such as that involved in the recall.
The news about the recall this week also brought reports from cat and dog owners themselves about deaths they attributed to food.
"I really believe that this company is just low-balling the numbers and that there is a much larger problem of pets dying from this tainted food," said Jim Bullock of Bend, owner of Marbles, a 12-year-old cat who died Feb. 27.
Bullock said his veterinarian told him the cause was acute kidney failure.
Marbles started eating into a new purchase of 72 packets of wet food, and downed three, Bullock said, before getting so sick he had to be put down.
In New York on Friday, state officials said rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths that sparked the recall.
