In response to a nationwide recall initiated Friday by pet food manufacturer Menu Foods, PETCO has directed its stores to discontinue selling certain wet food products for dogs and cats produced by Menu Foods.

Menu Foods announced the voluntary recall after receiving what it said was “feedback in the United States raising concerns” about a small number of animals becoming sick and developing signs of kidney failure.

At PETCO, our first priority is for animal safety, and we are removing from our shelves several brands of wet dog and cat food following a product recall by Menu Foods, a manufacturer of branded pet foods. The Iams and Eukanuba brands have provided specific production lot numbers involved in the recall.

In addition, as a precautionary measure we are pulling from shelves other wet food products that are manufactured by Menu Foods until we receive confirmation of their safety from the manufacturer.

By taking these steps, customers shopping with PETCO this weekend can have full confidence that the food products available for purchase are safe and healthy for their animals.

Menu Foods has updated their Web site with a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall http://www.menufoods.com/recall Consumers with concerns or questions can call Menu Foods at 1-866-463-6738.

The following brands of canned and wet food will temporarily be removed from sale at all PETCO stores by opening of business on Saturday, March 17th, 2007:

Iams & Eukanuba cans and pouches with lot numbers starting with 6339 through 7073 and Manufacturer code: 4197

For specific questions regarding Iams/Eukanuba products, please call the Iams/Eukanuba Consumer Care Hotline at 1-800-882-1591

As a precaution, PETCO is temporarily also removing the following brands from its shelves for sale until each manufacturer has determined that these products are safe for consumption:

- Mighty Dog Pouches
- Nutro Natural Choice dog cans and pouches
- Nutro Complete Care cat Pouches and 3 oz cans
- Nutro Ultra dog cans
- Nutro Max cat cans and pouches
- Mixables dog pouches
- Hill’s Science Diet Savory Cuts cat 3 oz. cans

IMPORTANT NOTES:

- Dry Dog and cat food are NOT affected by this recall.
- Other canned food brands not mentioned herein, and available for sale in PETCO stores and http://www.petco.com/ as of Saturday March 17th, 2007 are not affected by this recall and are safe for consumption.

PETCO will take back any product identified as part of this recall and can assist consumers with suitable options to feed.

Pet parents whose wet brands are temporarily unavailable for purBlogger: PETCO News – Edit Post “NEWS ALERT: Dog and Cat Food Canned and Pouch Reca…”chase can substitute a dry kibble formula from the same brand, or choose from a wide selection of other wet products available at PETCO including: Natural Balance, Natural Ultramix, Organix, Nature’s Recipe, Eatables, Halo Spot’s Stew, AvoDerm.

We will continue to provides updates to our stores and this Web site as additional information is available.

If you have any questions, please contact PETCO Customer Relations at 1-888-824-PALS(7257).