(March 19, 2007)--As many as one in six animals died in tests of dog and cat food that’s the focus of a massive nationwide recall.

Click Here For Information For Pet Owners From The American Veterinary Medical Association

The manufacturer conducted the tests after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country.

The government says Menu Foods tested suspect dog and cat food on as many as 50 animals after it learned of the problems that prompted the recall of 60 million pouches of the product.

Seven test animals died.

Menu Foods told the Food and Drug Administration it received the first complaints of kidney failure and deaths among cats and dogs on Feb. 20.

The FDA's top veterinarian says an investigation is focusing on wheat gluten as the likely source of contamination in the wet-style food.

But he says agency investigators are looking at other ingredients too.

The recall now covers dog food sold throughout North America under 51 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands.

Menu Foods produces more than a billion containers of wet pet food a year at three US and one Canadian factory.

The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J.

Owners of dogs and cats that have eaten the suspected products and show symptoms of kidney failure including loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting should consult with their veterinarians, the Food and Drug Administration says.

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